Brighton vs. Liverpool: Preview, Predictions and Lineups | OneFootball

Premier League champions Liverpool take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the final instalment of Monday Night Football this season.

Arne Slot’s Reds completed their title success at the end of April having led the way for the vast majority of the campaign. Arsenal, their closest ‘challengers’ struggled to build any sort of pressure on the league leaders, and thus their head-to-head meeting last weekend was somewhat of a dead rubber.

Liverpool raced into a 2–0 lead but were pegged back by a spirited Gunners performance at Anfield, and the eventual 2–2 draw means Slot’s side cannot cross the 90-point threshold with two games to go.

It was a bleak Saturday for Brighton supporters, who saw A23 rivals Crystal Palace win the FA Cup which greatly hinders their chances of playing in Europe next season. Now only a couple of unlikely permutations will see the Premier League’s eighth-place team venturing into the 2025–26 Conference League.

After last weekend’s win at Wolves, the Seagulls are just a point adrift of Brentford in eighth. Bournemouth and Fulham are also in contention.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to Monday night’s clash.

What Time Does Brighton vs. Liverpool Kick-Off?

Brighton vs. Liverpool Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (all competitions)

How to Watch Brighton vs. Liverpool on TV

Brighton Team News

João Pedro returns from his suspension this week / IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

Fabian Hürzeler can welcome the sought-after João Pedro back into his matchday squad on Monday after the Brazilian served a three-match suspension for his sending-off at Brentford last month.

Pedro will likely come straight back into the manager’s XI, operating off the shoulder of Danny Welbeck, who scored last weekend.

The hosts’ injury list has been trimmed in recent weeks, but Brighton are still without Georginio Rutter, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, James Milner and Solly March.

Midfielder Mats Wieffer has been utilised at right-back as of late, and will likely assume the role again on Monday.

Brighton Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool

Brighton predicted lineup vs. Liverpool (4-3-3): Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupiñán; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck.

Liverpool Team News

The departing full-back received a harsh reception at Anfield last week / IMAGO / Xinhua

Slot didn’t provide all that much information in his pre-match press conference, so we can assume that little has changed on the injury front.

Joe Gomez will likely sit out again due to a hamstring problem, while midfielder Tyler Morton also remains out of action.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was subject to a harsh Anfield reception last weekend, and the right-back may only play a peripheral roie during the final couple of weeks of the season. Conor Bradley, who just signed a four-year contract extension, is likely to start again.

Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Brighton

Liverpool predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Díaz.

Brighton vs. Liverpool Score Prediction

Slot’s been in Ibiza, the Liverpool players have partied plenty and there’s little motivation for the Reds during their final two games. Brighton, on the contrary, are fighting to finish eighth to give themselves a chance of playing in the Conference League.

The Seagulls may have more to play for and are entering the contest off the back of an impressive away win at Molineux last week, but while there are still single-season records for Mohamed Salah to smash, Liverpool remain a distinct threat.

This has the makings of a care-free game of football on Monday night, with a relaxed Reds giving the hosts a sniff. Both teams may struggle to get a grip of the contest in an entertaining score draw.