Liverpool v Brighton -
The Big Match Preview
By Steve Northover
Liverpool's crusade to salvage anything from a fairly disastrous season rolls on and into the FA Cup fourth round, with the visit of Brighton Hove Albion to an expectant Anfield.
The Seagulls are winless in the league so far in 2026, having been susceptible to giving away late goals, often from winning positions - notably against Aston Villa on Wednesday and Everton last weekend, with teams scoring goals in the last ten minutes - and find themselves, in 14th in the league (albeit with a hefty points gap to anyone in ‘trouble’) and will surely glad for the distraction of Cup football.
For the home side, the FA Cup is most likely the best chance for any silverware this season, save a run in Europe, so the home fans will be expecting a result.
That said, the league (and finishing in the Champions League places) is still the key aim for the Reds this season - especially with a mounting injury list down that right side of the defence - so a match against a Brighton side lacking confidence may, perhaps, offer a chance for Arne Slot to rest and rotate his already threadbare squad.
Nothing is that straightforward, and Liverpool will go into the game against Brighton with air of confidence - especially following a professional, if not headline grabbing, performance against Sunderland - they will be acutely aware that they have been on this situation a number of times this season and have more often than not come out the other side wanting.
Team News
The good news for Liverpool is Dominik Szoboszlai is available after serving his suspension against Sunderland and should feature if Slot decides not to experiment with the lineup. However, Wataru Endo joins Alexander Isak, Connor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni on the Reds long term injury list.
Meanwhile, whilst Jeremie Frimpong is still unavailable for the match against Brighton, the Right Back should be back in first team training in the next week. With things coming to a head in both the league and in Europe, I expect Arne Slot to rotate somewhat, with a mixture of first team and reserves.
On the other hand, things aren't as clear sailing for Brighton as Stefanos Tzimas and Adam Webster both are out for the rest of the season. They are joined by Solomon March, Yasin Abbas Ayari and Mats Wieffer, who should also all be back in the first team by the end of the month.
Whenever Brighton come to town, James Miller is on the radar, and while he won’t be chasing appearance records this week, even a brief cameo would feel like a homecoming. How things have unfolded since the turn of the year, a solid FA Cup run would count as a respectable season for Brighton. With no other distractions, the Seasiders can focus entirely on the Cup.