Liverpool vs Brighton: Match Preview, Latest Team News and Score Prediction | OneFootball

Liverpool vs Brighton Preview, FA Cup Night Under Anfield Lights

Cup focus returns to Merseyside

Liverpool resume their FA Cup journey on Saturday evening as Brighton arrive at Anfield for a fourth round tie that carries both opportunity and tension. Knockout football has a way of sharpening priorities, and for Liverpool this fixture offers the chance to steady momentum in front of a home crowd that still expects silverware as the minimum requirement of any season.

Progress to this stage came with efficiency, Barnsley dispatched without fuss, yet the weeks that followed have been harder to interpret. A commanding 6-0 victory over Qarabag showcased attacking fluency, though defeats to Manchester City and Bournemouth exposed lingering fragilities. Between those extremes came a significant result on Wearside, Liverpool becoming the first side to beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this season, a performance built on control rather than spectacle.

Form lines shape pre match narrative

Brighton travel north in a far less certain mood. Where Liverpool’s season has fluctuated, Brighton’s has drifted. Two wins in 15 matches across all competitions have drawn scrutiny toward Fabian Hurzeler, a coach still shaping his project but now confronting the unforgiving arithmetic of results.

Photo: IMAGO

If recent weeks have created anxiety around Brighton, the broader context across the league has only heightened it. Other managerial upheavals have shifted attention, yet the Seagulls’ downturn remains stark. Their midweek defeat at Villa Park felt subdued, lacking the energy and invention that once defined their rise.

Selection concerns and returning options

Liverpool’s preparations have been complicated by injury. Wataru Endo is expected to miss out after being stretchered off against Sunderland, a moment that visibly unsettled teammates and supporters alike. Arne Slot conceded the severity post match, admitting, “His injury doesn’t look good. I expect him to be out, unfortunately, for quite a long time again.”

Joe Gomez, introduced that night after his own lay off, could now be required from the start. There is better news elsewhere, Dominik Szoboszlai returns following suspension, restoring creativity to midfield areas.

Long term absentees remain, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are all unavailable, limiting rotational flexibility during an already congested schedule.

Brighton’s squad picture is also mixed. Yasin Ayari is nearing a return from a shoulder injury and may feature, while Mats Wieffer is pushing for involvement. However, Solly March, Adam Webster and Stafanos Tzimas continue longer recoveries.

Match expectation and prediction

Cup ties often resist logic, yet current trajectories offer clues. Liverpool’s inconsistency makes them difficult to map week to week, capable of dominance one evening and vulnerability the next. Brighton’s struggles, by contrast, have followed a more predictable downward line.

At Anfield, under lights, with progression at stake, Liverpool hold both the emotional and tactical edge. Brighton’s recent attacking bluntness suggests they may prioritise containment, though sustaining that for 90 minutes on Merseyside is a demanding assignment.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Brighton.