By Lewis Thompson

The start of the new month marks the return of Premier League action for Liverpool as they host Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

This will be the first game under new Italian boss Roberto De Zerbi for The Seagulls, following the departure of Graham Potter to Chelsea.

Brighton have had an excellent start to the season winning four of their first six games, including victories over Man United, West Ham and Leicester. 

The last time the two sides met at Anfield, goals from Henderson and Mane weren’t enough for the Reds as four goals equated to a 2-2 draw in what was a thrilling watch for a neutral.

Brighton this season have looked really good in their 3-5-2 system playing some proper football at times. Players such as Mac Allister, Gross and Trossard have been scoring goals for fun in a team that has constantly looked threatening all over the pitch.

Scoring five in any Premier League game is a massive achievement and that is exactly what Albion managed in their last encounter with Leicester City.

The three-man midfield paired with their attacking wide men caused a deflated Brendan Rodgers side numerous problems throughout the 90 and this is something we must expect at Anfield, even under new management.

Team News

Liverpool

• James Pearce confirmed that Konate is back in full training. The France international hasn’t featured for the Reds since coming off injured in Liverpool’s final pre-season friendly against Strasbourg in July.
• Andy Robertson will not be available for selection as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Tsimikas will continue as first choice left-back, the Greek Scouser played 180 minutes of football over the international break in the Nations League against Cyprus and Northern Ireland.
• Captain Jordan Henderson is set to return to Premier League action after missing the last three games due to a hamstring injury. Henderson came on for Jude Bellingham in the 90th minute in England’s 3-3 draw with Germany.
• Pearce also confirmed that both Curtis Jones and Calvin Ramsay are close to being available for selection. Ramsay is yet to make an appearance for the Reds.

Brighton

• Former Liverpool player Adam Lallana is back in contention for Roberto De Zerbi’s on Saturday. This follows a calf injury that kept him out since Brighton’s 2-0 win over West Ham in August.
• Zambian midfielder Enock Mwepu is a doubt for selection after he was hospitalised on international duty due to falling unwell on a trip to Mali. The midfielder got an assist in Brighton’s 5-2 win over Leicester City.
• Right wing-back Tariq Lamptey is also a doubt for the trip to Anfield following an unspecified injury he felt whilst training for Ghana on international duty.

The month of October will be a real test for Liverpool and might just shape the direction of the season. After Saturday, Jurgen’s side host Rangers in the Champions League group stages, followed by a tough away trip to the Emirates to play Arsenal on the 9th. Another away trip then looms to Glasgow to face Rangers again, followed by back-to-back home games against Man City on the 16th and West Ham on the 19th. 

So, with all that said it is pretty clear that Saturday is a must-win for Liverpool knowing the challenges they will face later in the month.

PREDICTED LINEUP:

Alisson, Trent, Van Dijk, Matip, Tsimikas, Fabinho, Thiago, Elliot, Salah, Jota, Diaz.

PREDICTED SCORE:

Liverpool 2-0 Brighton

What do you think? Brighton a tough team to beat but an important three points?

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