Liverpool vs Brighton Betting Tips (30/10/21) – Reds Wary But Confident Against Progressive Seagulls

With Jurgen Klopp deciding to make all eleven changes to his team following the 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United at the weekend, there was plenty of desire and hunger among Liverpool’s second string in the EFL Cup clash with Preston on Wednesday evening.

And that manifested itself as an impressive 2-0 win against a Lilywhites side that simply refused to budge an inch during a hard-fought game at Deepdale.

Klopp handed full debuts to Tyler Morton and Harvey Blair, and they showed that the future looks to be bright for Liverpool’s youngsters with assured displays – Morton in particular looked excellent in the thick of the midfield battle.

The manager also handed starts to the returning Neco Williams, Adrian in goal and a surprise nod for Joel Matip – does that mean Ibrahima Konate is now ahead of him in the defensive pecking order?

The first half was goalless, and while the Reds looked comfortable on the ball they didn’t really fashion any meaningful chances. Indeed, it was Preston who perhaps should have taken the lead with Sean Maguire, Brad Potts and Ryan Ledson all missing gilt-edged opportunities.

Klopp hauled off Matip at the break and Blair after 55 minutes, and it was the latter move – with Conor Bradley slotting in at right back to allow Williams to play further forward – that yielded the major dividend.

The Welshman got free down the right hand side and slung over a cross that was met by Takumi Minamino, and as he did against Norwich in the previous round the Japanese international converted.

Preston continued to try their luck on the counter attack, but it would be Liverpool who scored the next and decisive goal – Divock Origi, who had been almost anonymous all night, reminding everyone of his talents with a fine finish as injury time approached.

There was just time for Klopp to hand first-team debuts to substitutes Owen Beck and Elijah Dixon-Bonner in what was a below-par performance but still a satisfactory evening for the club.

“As a team we can play better, but individually I saw a few really nice performances,” the manager confirmed. “It’s all about getting through to the next round, that’s what we did. That it [would be] difficult with 11 changes, that was clear.”

It’s back to the serious business at the weekend, with Brighton heading to Anfield for the next instalment of Premier League action.

Liverpool Team News

It would be difficult to say that anyone from the EFL Cup team made a major statement for inclusion in Klopp’s regular starting eleven.

Williams and Minamino were perhaps the liveliest, alongside the mature Morton, but the former duo find themselves behind immovable objects in the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane.

It was something of a surprise to see Mane dropped to the bench for the trip to Old Trafford, but so good were Liverpool there it’s unlikely that the manager will want to make any changes at all.

And so he will be monitoring the situations of James Milner and Naby Keita with interest. Milner came off with a hamstring injury against United and is expected to miss out, while Keita thankfully only suffered bruising after being taken out by Paul Pogba.

With Milner out, Keita a possible and Thiago still not ready, Fabinho will surely be welcomed back into midfield alongside Jordan Henderson, with Curtis Jones perhaps the third member should Keita not make it.

Brighton Form

Last season, Brighton became something of a running joke – the kings of xG, they simply couldn’t apply the finishing touches to their chances created.

The irony is that by that metric, the Seagulls have been poor so far – they have an xG difference of -1.2 – and yet they find themselves fifth in the table.

Graham Potter’s men started the season like a runaway train with four wins from five, but since then they are without a win in four – perhaps the Expected Goals data has revealed a side punching above their weight early on in the campaign.

Liverpool vs Brighton Betting Tips

Every time Liverpool play at the minute they look likely to score two or more goals, and that’s no matter which combination Klopp opts for in attack.

The possible loss of Keita’s thrusting runs from midfield will hurt the Reds, but they still have ample firepower in attack and, should Konate start ahead of Matip, may be more solid defensively too.

Odds of 2/9 on a Liverpool victory are clearly untouchable, but with a -1 handicap they become a much more value price of 4/5. Given their form and class, and the suspicion that Brighton have regressed in the past few weeks, that is more than fair.