All eyes will be on Mohamed Salah when Liverpool welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to Anfield for what should be an absorbing Premier League match filled with storylines on Saturday afternoon.
Both Liverpool and Brighton are trying to get back to winning form after dropping points last weekend, with Liverpool held by Leeds United and Brighton frustrated by West Ham.
The conversation around Liverpool continues to revolve around Salah and his uncertain future. There is growing speculation that he may have already played his last game for a club accused of treating him poorly, while his relationship with manager Arne Slot is said to be effectively nonexistent.
Opinions have been split over whether Salah should have been left out of Liverpool’s last three league games, including the 3-3 draw with Leeds. What most people agree on is that he has been far from his best. His numbers this season are the lowest he has produced for Liverpool, from shots per game to shots on target to touches in the opposition box.
His defensive work rate has also been questioned, ranking last among 45 wide forwards in the league for tracking back. Slot made a bold choice on Tuesday by leaving him out of the squad for the controversial 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan, a match in which Salah’s presence was not required.
Liverpool still have European work to do, but their Premier League title hopes look all but over. With only two wins in their last ten league games, they have slipped to tenth in the table, ten points off leaders Arsenal, although the gap to the top four is just three points. Their total of 23 points and 24 goals conceded from 15 matches represents the worst start by defending champions since Leicester in 2016. Defensive weaknesses have proved costly, with Liverpool conceding 48 league goals in 2025, close to their worst totals in any calendar year.
One positive for Liverpool is their solid home record against Brighton. They have lost only one of their eight Premier League meetings at Anfield, though that defeat came in 2021, the only other time they faced Brighton as reigning champions.
Brighton arrive still disappointed after failing to beat West Ham last weekend, a missed opportunity to break into the top four after Chelsea dropped points. They created almost nothing until the final minutes, when all of their shots on target were produced. Georginio Rutter eventually earned them a 1-1 draw with a late goal, but head coach Fabian Hurzeler admitted that his side did not deserve more.
The result leaves Brighton eighth, level with Liverpool and three points shy of fourth place. They now enter a demanding festive run having failed to win any of their last eight December league matches. Hurzeler has managed wins in every other month of the year except December.
Brighton can at least take heart from two straight clean sheets away from home. They have not kept three in a row on the road since 2020. They are also aiming to beat Liverpool in consecutive league games for the first time after their thrilling 3-2 win in May.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Liverpool will be without Cody Gakpo (unspecified), Giovanni Leoni (ACL) and Conor Bradley (suspended). Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring), Federico Chiesa (illness) and Wataru Endo (unspecified) are all doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Although Salah has directly contributed to 17 goals in his last 18 games against Brighton (10 goals, seven assists), it remains to be seen whether he will feature in the matchday squad for the final time before leaving for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt.
Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored an 88th-minute winning penalty against Inter, has arguably been Liverpool’s standout performer this season and he could continue on the right side of midfield if Salah is left out again.
Ex-Brighton man Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch will all be battling for starts in midfield, and Joe Gomez will likely continue at right-back in the absence of Bradley, while a recall for Florian Wirtz could see either Hugo Ekitike or Alexander Isak make way from the first XI.
As for Brighton, Stefanos Tzimas, Solly March, Adam Webster (all knee) and James Milner (muscle) all remain sidelined with injuries, the former of whom is facing months on the sidelines.
Kaoru Mitoma has been out since the end of September with an ankle problem and he will continue to be assessed along with fellow doubtful duo Yasin Ayari (muscle) and Tom Watson (unspecified).
Should Ayari pass a late fitness test, he will likely battle with Diego Gomez and Jack Hinshelwood for a start in centre-midfield alongside Carlos Baleba, while Rutter is expected to retain his starting spot behind striker Danny Welbeck after scoring his first PL goal of the season with his 19th shot last weekend.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Isak, Wirtz
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck
EXPERT PREDICTION
Liverpool 2-2 Brighton
