'Unpredictable' - Pundits send warning to Liverpool ahead of meeting with 'bogey team' Brighton

Liverpool return to action on Sunday and kick-off their Premier League title race run-in at home to Brighton. A large number of Reds have been away on international duty over the past fortnight but all focus will not turn to domestic action and the final weeks of Jurgen Klopp's reign.

Victory over the Seagulls, or even a draw, would send Liverpool top of the Premier League with Manchester City hosting Arsenal at the Etihad later that afternoon. Klopp will hope to be boosted by the return of defender Ibrahima Konate but will be sweating on the fitness of Andy Robertson, who limped off while playing for Scotland.

Brighton have struggled to replicate last season's form but remain dangerous on their day, having drawn 2-2 in the reverse at the AMEX in October. In fact, the south coast side have only lost one of their last eight against the Reds and pundits are predicting a tight game.

Chris Sutton (BBC Sport)

“Brighton have been a bit of a bogey team for Liverpool recently, especially at Anfield where they have not been beaten since 2019. I can see why this has been such a dangerous fixture for Liverpool because of the way that Brighton play, but if the Reds are anywhere near their best then I still think they will win this time.

“They have to really. If they want to win the title, they have to win games like this. There might be a bit of anger from Liverpool after the way they lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup last time out, and that might help. Mohamed Salah was not at his best in that game, but he has had a couple of weeks to get his fitness levels up and he could make the difference here.”

Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Brighton

Paul Merson (Sportskeeda)

“I think this is a hard game for Liverpool. A lot of people might think that Liverpool could just turn up and get the result here but Brighton, despite their struggles, are not going to be easy to push aside. Brighton are yet another unpredictable team that turns up on the odd weekend.

“We’ve got to that stage of the season where you have to win every game, especially when you're chasing the title. This is a rather difficult phase because we’ve just had the international break and the players have been travelling and could be weary. For Liverpool, it's one of those games that they just need to get out of the way.

"I don’t see this being a walkover by any stretch of the imagination, but Jurgen Klopp’s men should back themselves to pull off a narrow win here.”

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Brighton