Brighton vs Liverpool predictions
Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions after their 5-1 rout of Tottenham, and their victory lap has taken them to Stamford Bridge, back to Anfield and then on trips to Dubai and Ibiza.
Arne Slot jetted off to party with Wayne Lineker in Ibiza while his players – including Mohamed Salah, whose goalscoring feats this term have been up there with the other Lineker’s – headed for Dubai to give Trent Alexander-Arnold the farewell he deserves.
To say the Reds are in party mood would clearly be an understatement and they were already showing signs of relaxation anyway, being beaten 3-1 by Chelsea and throwing away a two-goal lead against Arsenal to draw 2-2 in their games since being crowned champions.
A trip to another party city, Brighton, is up next for Liverpool and neither side have a lot to play for. A shock FA Cup success for the Seagulls’ rivals Crystal Palace means eighth will no longer get a place in Europe, and with the pressure off. goals could flow at the Amex.
Fabian Hurzeler, like Slot, has enjoyed a positive first season in England. The German arrived as an unknown quantity and many were unsure whether he was the right man to replace his enigmatic predecessor Roberto De Zerbi.
However, a top-half finish is on the cards for Brighton, an impressive feat given their seemingly never-ending injury crisis, and they have enjoyed some strong results.
Hurzeler’s men came back from 2-1 down in the final ten minutes to defeat West Ham before drawing 1-1 with Newcastle and beating in-form Wolves 2-0 at Molineux.
They achieved those results without Joao Pedro and with the magnificent Brazilian back from suspension, they should pose a real threat to a Liverpool defence who have managed just two clean sheets in their last 12 matches.
Pedro should join Danny Welbeck, Yankuba Minteh and Brajan Gruda in attack and all four can cause the Reds plenty of trouble, so a south-coast spectacle could be in store.
Liverpool should help bring up a high scoring tally. Salah is losing in the Golden Boot while Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo will be trying to prove that rumoured new signings such as Florian Wirtz aren’t a necessity, and over 3.5 goals is the standout bet.
This pair’s last three meetings in East Sussex produced more than three goals – the most recent came in the League Cup as Liverpool won 3-2 last October – and the same bet has landed in three of Brighton’s last five matches, as well as each of the champions’ last three.
Champagne was on the menu for the partying Reds last week but goals look likely to be the dish of the day in Brighton.
