EPL Betting Preview: Brighton vs Liverpool – Saturday, November 2, 2024
Just three days after a thrilling League Cup encounter, we have Brighton vs. Liverpool set to clash again on Saturday afternoon at Anfield, this time for crucial Premier League points.
The Reds emerged victorious with a 3-2 win over Fabian Hurzeler’s side in Wednesday’s EFL Cup last-16 tie, but last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal saw Arne Slot’s team fall behind Manchester City in the league standings.
Notably, Brighton have beat Liverpool three times in their last ten meetings, avoiding defeats in three of their previous four visits to Anfield, with one recent exception – a 2-1 loss during the 2023-24 season.
Liverpool Betting Preview (-278 at EveryGame)
Cody Gakpo’s brace inspired Liverpool’s 3-2 win on the South Coast in midweek as Arne Slot’s side extended their fine form across all competitions. While an early League Cup exit wouldn’t have been devastating for Liverpool, the defending champions remain in pursuit of a record-extending 11th title, powered by their strong midweek performance.
Continuing his prolific Cup performances, Dutch forward Cody Gakpo scored twice in the second half, bringing his tally to four goals in this season’s tournament. Luis Diaz also added his name to the scoresheet, ensuring Brighton’s goals from Simon Adingra and Tariq Lamptey were mere consolations.
Liverpool’s schedule intensifies with a League Cup quarter-final trip to Southampton next month but first they need to brace themselves for high-stakes Champions League matchups against Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid in November. Despite this, the Reds must keep focus on the Premier League race, where they currently sit just behind Manchester City. A win over Brighton could propel them to the top of the table if Pep Guardiola’s side stumble against Bournemouth.
Under Slot, Liverpool have only faltered once this season, with a shock 1-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest in September. Since then, they’ve dominated at Anfield, stringing together four straight wins, each featuring multiple goals, against Chelsea, Bologna, West Ham United, and Bournemouth.
Liverpool received a boost ahead of their midweek victory over Brighton with Conor Bradley’s full return to action. However, influential figures such as Alisson Becker, Harvey Elliott and Diogo Jota, as well as summer signing Federico Chiesa are expected to remain sidelined until after the November international break.
For Saturday, Slot will likely call on top players such as Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah, and Darwin Nunez, who were rested midweek. The choice between Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson at left-back will also be one to watch, with Robertson having started both recent games against Arsenal and Brighton.
Cody Gakpo has outscored every teammate in the home side’s Carabao Cup run so far (four goals), but the Dutchman is still looking for his first league goal of the campaign after firing blanks in nine previous appearances (starting just two of them, though).
Brighton Betting Preview (+600 at EveryGame)
Fabian Hurzeler’s side make the trip to Merseyside after the sides’ thrilling midweek encounter at the Amex Stadium. The Seagulls capitalized on an unconvincing performance from Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah for their goals in Wednesday’s clash, but their defensive struggles resurfaced, mirroring the issues they faced in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers and the two late goals from the Wolves.
Against Wolves, goals from Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson had seemingly set up a comfortable win for Brighton, but a late surge saw Rayan Ait-Nouri cut the deficit before Matheus Cunha’s deflected, last-minute equalizer stunned Brighton. Mats Wieffer, who will reunite with former Feyenoord manager Arne Slot on Saturday, misplayed a promising late counterattack that could have sealed a Brighton victory.
Brighton currently sit sixth under the Premier League’s youngest-ever permanent manager, maintaining a reputation for thrilling, high-scoring games. Their last seven matches have yielded an average of over four goals per game, with the Seagulls both scoring and conceding at least twice in six of those contests.
Brighton’s defense was weakened midweek by the absence of Lewis Dunk, who suffered a calf strain before their match against Wolves. His status remains uncertain for Saturday. Other fitness concerns for the Seagulls include ex-Liverpool ace James Milner, as well as the likes of Yankuba Minteh and Joao Pedro, while Adam Webster, Solly March and Matt O’Riley are also set to miss out.
On a positive note, Georginio Rutter returns after being cup-tied, potentially resuming his partnership with Danny Welbeck up front. Elsewhere, Jack Hinshelwood also made his comeback from a minor injury on Wednesday and could start in midfield.
Possible Starting Lineups of Liverpool vs. Brighton
Liverpool: Caoimhín Kelleher – Kostas Tsimikas, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold – Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch – Luis Diaz, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah – Darwin Nunez. (4-2-3-1)
Brighton: Bart Verbruggen – Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, Igor, Pervis Estupinan – Simon Adingra, Jack Hinshelwood, Carlos Baleba, Kaoru Mitoma – Georginio Rutter, Danny Welbeck. (4-4-2)
Spooky Express Betting Prediction
Brighton’s resilience was properly tested by Liverpool and Wolverhampton setbacks over the past few days. Their prowess keeps every match exciting, though, but their midweek goals may hold little weight against Liverpool’s formidable Premier League defense. With Slot expected to field a full-strength lineup, the Reds should have the upper hand and are tipped to reclaim their winning form on Saturday.
However, Brighton have proven they are very capable of scoring goals but the Anfield quest might be a very difficult one, so we expect Arne Slot’s men to once again outscore their opponents within a couple of days.
Spooky Express Free Play Brighton vs. Liverpool: Outcome And Both To Score – Liverpool and Yes +135 at EveryGame for 5/10 Units