Brighton’s form has started to pick up in recent weeks, as they have won three of their last four matches. That includes a 1-0 win against Sunderland last weekend, and the Seagulls have had plenty of time since then to rest and prepare for this match against Liverpool. 

Liverpool were involved in midweek Champions League action, and they were destructive in the final third. Arne Slot’s men racked up 32 shots worth 4.88 xG against Galatasaray, and 16 of their attempts hit the target. The Reds have won both head-to-head meetings against Brighton this season, which will also give them confidence. 

However, both of those matches were at Anfield, and the Seagulls were unfortunate not to score in either. They managed 14 shots worth 1.9 xG in the Premier League meeting in December. Fabian Hurzeler rotated his side for the FA Cup fixture, but Brighton still managed 18 shots and were denied by three saves from Allison.

On home turf, Brighton will hope to be more clinical in the final third, especially considering BTTS had landed in each of the last six head-to-head encounters before this season.

Brighton even managed to come away with a 3-2 win when these sides last met at the Amex Stadium. Allison put in an exceptional performance in between the sticks for Liverpool in that game, and he racked up nine saves to prevent the scoreline from getting out of hand. 

The Brazilian had very little to do against Galatasaray on Wednesday night, but he accrued six saves in Liverpool’s last league game against Spurs. 

Brighton are forcing 3.11 saves per game from the opposing goalkeeper this season, and this selection has landed in five of their last six matches. They only failed to hit this mark against Arsenal in that stretch, but David Raya still had to make two saves, so it went extremely close. 

Diego Gomez racked up four fouls in that match against the Gunners, and he accounted for one of four Brighton cards. The Paraguay international repeated that feat against Sunderland last time out, again recording four infringements. 

Gomez is averaging an eye-catching 2.37 fouls per 90 for Brighton this season across all competitions, which is the highest of any player in the squad.  In fact, he ranks fourth of all Premier League players for total fouls committed this term, only behind Joao Gomes, Igor Thiago, and Elliot Anderson. 

Gomez has accrued nine yellow cards in 32 appearances this season, and two of those bookings have come against Liverpool. He was called for two infringements against the Reds in the Premier League and three fouls in the FA Cup. He is incredibly aggressive in his duels and should have plenty of defensive work to get through against the Reds again here.

Even though his data is not as enticing as Diego Gomez's, Hugo Ekitike is another player who has been amongst the fouls this season for Liverpool.

The Frenchman is averaging 1.75 fouls per 90 across all competitions in the Premier League, rising to 2.0 when playing away, and he has committed multiple infringements in three of his last four appearances. 

Ekitike should be directly up against Jan Paul Van Hecke this weekend, which is a matchup to keep tabs on. The centre back is averaging 1.23 fouls drawn per 90 at the Amex this season, which is impressively high for a centre back, and he has landed this selection in nine of his 13 starts in total. 

This bet landed in both head-to-head meetings between these sides this season, highlighting how the Dutchman usually goes down easily under contact to alleviate the pressure on his side.

There were four cards dished out by Stuart Attwell in the matchup between these sides in the FA Cup this season, and Brighton accounted for all of them.

The Seagulls racked up 19 infringements as a team, and both centre-backs found their way into the referee’s notebook. Lewis Dunk was the first player to be carded, with his yellow coming after just 15 minutes for a cynical foul. 

The Englishman also struggled against Liverpool in the league meeting, again, as he was booked for a reckless challenge. The Brighton skipper is only averaging 0.53 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, but that has translated to ten yellow cards in 29 appearances, highlighting how the vast majority of his fouls tend to be worthy of a booking.

Liverpool excel at drawing defenders out of position to create chances, and Dunk has had a tough time against the Reds in recent matchups.

Yasin Ayari has returned to the first-team picture after a lengthy injury layoff, but the Swedish international is unlikely to be rushed back into the starting eleven here, which means Jack Hinshelwood should continue in an advanced midfield position. 

The 20-year-old has started in that position for the last four successive matches, and has accrued ten shots in that time. Hinshelwood has managed multiple shots in all of those games, and only failed to hit the target against Arsenal. However, he still had two shots, which shows how he was able to find good chances. 

Hinshelwood scored the winning goal against Liverpool when these sides last met at the Amex, despite only featuring off the bench. The Englishman has a knack for popping up in dangerous positions, and he is averaging 1.81 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season.

Arne Slot has used Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate interchangeably this season, and the Englishman could be set for a recall to the starting eleven after remaining on the bench against Galatasaray. Gomez landed this selection when he last faced Brighton, as he recorded two fouls. 

That was despite only featuring for the final 20 minutes off the bench, but Gomez still had plenty of duels to contest. He hasn’t featured regularly this season, and as a result, has been a bit rash in his challenges. Gomez is averaging 1.54 fouls per 90 across all competitions, which is one of the highest values in the Liverpool squad. 

Assuming Gomez does start, he will either play at centre back or right back. If he plays at fullback, Gomez will be up against Yankuba Minteh, which promises to be a tough matchup. Minteh likes to take on his marker, so Gomez should see plenty of defensive involvement.

I watched Liverpool on Wednesday night produce a Klopp-style performance to sail past Galatasaray after being a goal down from the away leg. They were all over an insipid Gala like a rash from the first whistle, racking up 32 shots with 16 on target, and an xG of 4.88.

Despite only registering one direct goal contribution, Hugo Ekitike had the highest combined xG + xA if you take away Mo Salah’s penalty. He led the press brilliantly off the ball, and when Liverpool were in possession, Ekitike’s explosive style created plenty of chaos and space for his teammates. He also has recent league form, with a goal and two assists against West Ham.

Brighton will be tough opponents as they are in pretty good form at the moment, with three wins in their last five games. But it felt as if Liverpool’s performance on Wednesday set a standard in terms of energy levels that they must continue to replicate to salvage their season.