Liverpool FC are now on a quest to join 2018-19 Manchester City, and become just the second Premier League side to hit the century mark in season points. They just need 11 more out of the 15 possible remaining, and they’ll get there. Manager Jurgen Klopp says he’s not interested in breaking records, but c’mon, you know how competitive both he and his team really is.
If they win four more times, they’ll set the new benchmark for season points. Up next is a trip to the Amex Stadium, where they’ll face lower table Brighont & Hove Albion. The odds are definitely with the Reds on this one.
Just like playing online casino games, you never really know what’s going to happen in the game of football, but that’s what makes it so fun to bet on. There’s always some element of luck and chance involved. Liverpool are typically priced in this one at 4/7, while a draw can be had for 16/5. Brighton can be backed for a price of 11/2. Now let’s take a look at the team news for both sides.
Andrew Robertson suffered a knock in the win over Aston Villa on Sunday, but he’s expected to heal in time for this clash. James Milner could also play as he continues recovering from a hamstring injury, but he may not be risked.
Joel Matip is out for the season while Dejan Lovren (knock) has missed the past two, and is a doubt once again here. Like Milner, he probably won’t be risked. As for Brighton, manager Graham Potter has no fresh injury concerns ahead of this game.
Now that he’s accomplished both a Premier League and Champions League title at Liverpool, Klopp may have designs on another objective for the Merseyside club- an all Scouser team.
“We want to be the club where everyone with a Scouse soul wants to play,” he said at his prematch virtual news conference.
“If you love football, if you are talented, if you are ready to work hard then we want you to be here but for that we need to show the boys that there is a way through.
“To be able to do that we have to show there is a pathway through to the first-team.”
“This is a club where you can have pretty much everything. You can train together with world class players. You can train together with them and you can ensure you can improve as much as you can and the club will give you a chance.
“The dream in the long-term is that we have a team full of Scousers. Why not? They would fight like crazy.”
Liverpool FC at Brighton & Hove Albion FYIs
Liverpool starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Kickoff: Wed July 7, 8:15 BST, Amex Stadium
Records: Brighton 8-12-13, 36 points, 15th Liverpool FC 29-2-2, 89 points, Champions
Premier League Form Guide: Brighton LDWDLW Liverpool FC LWDWLW
Prediction: Liverpool 2, Brighton 0
Klopp won’t go full pace all the time in this one, but as we said before, you know how competitive he truly is, so he won’t take his foot off the accelerator completely either.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for Chicago Tribune.com, on Twitter and his cat on Instagram.
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