Liverpool will be hoping to continue their slow rise up the Premier League table when they play host to Brighton and Hove Albion in their next Premier League encounter on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds will be looking to bounce back and return to winning ways after they were held to a goalless draw by rivals Everton in the first edition of this season’s Merseyside derby.
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The Seagulls went into the international break in good spirits after a 5-2 win over Leicester City. Of course, they have a new manager following Graham Potter’s decision to replace Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge. Roberto De Zerbi will now attempt to carry on the good work by his predecessor.
Liverpool currently occupies eighth place with just nine points from six matches, but with a game in hand, while Brighton are four places above them in fourth place on the table with 13 points from their first six matches.
“I also know that I am one of the important players at the club and of course also here at the national team. I feel that responsibility,” Virgil van Dijk on his poor start to the season.
“Mentally it’s a challenge. You feel a lot of pressure on your head. A lot of people forget that too, it’s not easy to do that. We all try to show our best and if, in my case, you are one of the mainstays at the club, then you get the criticism you deserve. You have to deal with that and that is not always easy. But I did that just fine.
“We spoke well (with each other), especially in the week leading up to the (Champions League) match against Ajax Amsterdam. It doesn’t mean it can’t happen again. But it is important, and I see that with the national team too, that the focus is all in the same direction. That is the basis for success.”
In the last two meetings between the two teams in the Premier League, Liverpool managed to secure four points out of a possible six after they played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Anfield followed by Brighton suffering a 2-0 defeat at the American Express Community Stadium in the return leg.
Jurgen Klopp will continue to be without the likes of Naby Keïta, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as they continue to be on the mend from their respective injuries.
New Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi will be without the services of Jakub Moder, who is out with a cruciate ligament rupture and Adam Lallana, who is sidelined with a calf injury.
Despite his slow start to the campaign, Mohamed Salah is slowly beginning to find his form, has a good record against Brighton, having contributed to 11 goals, with six goals and five assists in his last 10 matches against the Seagulls.
Leandro Trossard will be the man to watch for Brighton as he has scored and assisted in his last two visits to Anfield.
Liverpool’s Premier League Form:
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Brighton & Hove Albion’s Premier League Form:
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