Aiming to leapfrog their revered visitors in the Premier League table, Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Liverpool to the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Seagulls thumped Middlesbrough 5-1 to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup last time out, while Jurgen Klopp's men were forced to accept a replay after drawing 2-2 with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Match preview
© Reuters
Nearly producing a carbon copy of their eye-catching 4-1 win away at Everton, Brighton struck an extra goal in an emphatic success at Boro's Riverside Stadium on Saturday, as returning World Cup hero Alexis Mac Allister swapped international glory for an FA Cup brace off the bench.
Ex-Liverpool man Adam Lallana, Deniz Undav and Pascal Gross were also on target for the goal-happy Seagulls, who quickly recovered from Chuba Akpom's leveller in the opening exchanges to set up a fourth-round battle with, coincidentally, Liverpool or Wolves.
Prior to their successful trip to Middlesbrough, Roberto De Zerbi's men silenced Goodison Park and then some with a scintillating Premier League win last Tuesday, remaining within touching distance of the continental spots as a result as they sit eighth in the rankings.
Tottenham Hotspur - who have played a game more - still hold an unassailable six-point lead over Brighton in fifth place, but victory for the Seagulls on their own turf would be enough to break into the top seven over Liverpool, as the positives continue to outweigh the negatives in life after Graham Potter.
For all of their goalscoring capabilities, each of Brighton's last seven Premier League games have seen both teams score, and their only top-flight win at the Amex since October was that 4-1 demolition of Chelsea, but Liverpool are not exactly the force that they once were.
© Reuters
As calls to sign a new midfielder grow louder and louder from the Anfield faithful - who may take the opportunity to get a closer look at Brighton's Moises Caicedo this weekend - Klopp's men have been thanking their lucky stars, or lack of camera angles, for their FA Cup defence remaining alive.
Prior to the full-time whistle in their four-goal draw with Wolves, Toti had scored a seemingly good winner for the visitors before it was ruled out, with Matheus Nunes adjudged to have committed the offside offence when receiving the ball back at his feet from a corner.
With no concrete evidence available to overturn the on-field decision, Klopp and a furious Julen Lopetegui shook hands on a draw, but there was arguably not a more grateful man in the ground than Alisson Becker, who failed to cover himself in glory for either of Wolves' strikes.
Returning to top-flight duty, seventh-placed Liverpool cannot usurp Tottenham no matter what transpires this weekend, and they were knocked down a place by Fulham on Thursday night after the Cottagers got the better of Chelsea.
Following a similar pattern to that of their hosts, Liverpool have also scored and conceded in each of their last six games in all tournaments, but they have accumulated just two top-flight wins away from home all season - only the 12th-best record of its kind.
Leandro Trossard made the headlines for the right reasons as his hat-trick allowed Brighton to come away from Anfield with a 3-3 draw earlier this season, but Liverpool have not lost in their 10 previous visits to the South Coast side, including a 2-0 success at the Amex in March.
Team News
© Reuters
Brighton came through their FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough with no new injury concerns to report, although Anfield hat-trick hero Trossard will miss out after landing himself in hot water with De Zerbi, having left training early last week after being told that he would not play in the cup.
Jakub Moder is the hosts' only injury absentee for this game, though, as the Poland midfielder targets a return from a knee problem next month, and De Zerbi was able to give Adam Webster some minutes off the bench in the FA Cup, where Lewis Dunk was rested.
An expected return for Mac Allister in the final third means that Lallana may have to accept a spot on the bench against his former club, while emerging star Evan Ferguson should enjoy another start up front.
Over at Anfield, Liverpool's long-term absentees Diogo Jota, Arthur, Luis Diaz and Virgil van Dijk all remain out of contention, while Roberto Firmino has suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf issue, but James Milner (hamstring) should be available.
On another negative note, Klopp is unsure if Darwin Nunez will be fit to play after picking up an unspecified injury, so Cody Gakpo's first Premier League start is seemingly a guarantee.
The 23-year-old - who admitted to having "good and sloppy" moments in his inaugural appearance - ought to line up at the tip of the attack here, while Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate will pair up in the absence of Van Dijk.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; Lamptey, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gross; March, Mac Allister, Mitoma; Ferguson
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Konate, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Gakpo, Oxlade-Chamberlain
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Liverpool
Both Brighton and Liverpool have demonstrated a penchant for goalscoring and propensity for conceding in recent weeks, which should lead to a fascinating battle between two continental hopefuls.
The re-formation of the Dunk-Webster partnership may even have the Seagulls earmarked as favourites for this game by some, but Liverpool's trips to the Amex often end with the visitors clinching at least a point, and we have faith in De Zerbi's prolific charges to hold the Reds to another high-scoring stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
