1) Fading Brighton face tough task
Brighton’s four defeats on the spin appeared to come from nowhere and, in the space of three weeks, doubled their number of losses for the season. They will not be relegated but a European spot is surely now out of the question, with no guarantees things will turn dramatically when Liverpool visit. “Every team will have a tough period and we’re going through ours now,” said the midfielder Steven Alzate, one of few Seagulls players to come out with much credit from the defeat at Newcastle. Brighton do tend to give Liverpool a game, on the positive side. They drew this fixture last season and their comeback from two down to earn a point at Anfield may yet come to be an episode Jürgen Klopp regrets bitterly when he looks back at the title race. Before what looks to be a defining four weeks for Klopp’s hopes, with Liverpool due to visit Arsenal and Manchester City, Alzate and company will hope to put another huge spanner in the works. NA
