Liverpool will play their first Premier League home game since August this weekend when they host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.
It's been almost an entire month since Liverpool 's last Premier League game, with fixtures against Chelsea and Wolves both suspended following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The international break then followed, with the Reds' clash with Brighton on Saturday being the club's first game since the win over Ajax in the Champions League on September 13.
A late Joel Matip header secured a 2-1 win over the Dutch champions in the last outing, leaving the Reds with one win and one loss from their opening Champions League games. Brighton have started the season fantastically, but following the departure of manager Graham Potter, it's yet to be seen just how much of an impact his loss could have on the Seagulls.
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Jurgen Klopp has had Ibrahima Konate and Calvin Ramsey return to training over the international break, but the duo will remain absent for the clash with Brighton. Andrew Robertson is set to miss out with injury again, joining Curtis Jones, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Caoimhin Kelleher on the sidelines.
So, how could Liverpool perform against Brighton on Saturday? We used the brand-new FIFA 23 to get a score prediction..
Liverpool vs Brighton score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the Liverpool squad with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Klopp's side could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliott, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Diaz.
We predict that the Seagulls could set up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Sanchez; Veltman, Dunk, Webster; March, Gross, Mac Allister, Caicedo, Trossard; Undav, Welbeck.
Despite a bright start from Liverpool, Brighton took the lead as a corner flicked on towards the back post was prodded into the net by an unmarked Danny Welbeck. The Reds had fallen behind again, but a quick reply saw Mohamed Salah score twice in seven minutes to send Liverpool into the break with a 2-1 lead.
A rapid counter-attack saw Luis Diaz break down the left, and his drilled cross into the box was met by Salah who tapped past the onrushing keeper. Then on the stroke of half-time, Diogo Jota spotted Salah's run forward with a fantastic through ball, sending the Egyptian one-on-one with Robert Sanchez.
As the keeper came off his line, Salah took his shot early, curling a fantastic effort into the top corner of the net. And, just after the break, Salah notched his third of the afternoon to open up a two-goal gap between the two sides.
A quick passing move saw the Reds find themselves with plenty of space in the Brighton half, and once again, it was Jota who was the provider. On the turn, he fed Salah through who breezed past his marker, and the forward blasted his shot past the keeper at the near post to make it 3-1.
Jota was taken off for Darwin Nunez on 55 minutes, and within 15 minutes of his introduction, the Uruguayan scored twice with some brilliant strikes to extend Liverpool's lead to 5-1. The first goal saw the striker take a through ball into his stride, round the keeper and tap into the empty net.
But his second was the standout - Nunez received the ball just outside the box, pushed off his marker to break into the area, and rifled a powerful effort past Sanchez at his near post. The Reds were in full control, with Brighton failing to respond.
Klopp saw this as an opportunity to make more changes, with Fabio Carvalho and Arthur both coming on for the final 10 minutes. Within the first three minutes of being on the pitch, Carvalho scored the Reds' sixth of the afternoon.
A long ball forwards from Arthur found the run of Thiago, and the Spaniard took a fantastic touch into the path of Carvalho's run. The Portuguese attacker shot first time across goal, nestling his shot into the far corner.
And, in the 89th minute, Nunez scored to make it 7-1 and grab a hat-trick. A long ball from Kostas Tsimikas was met by Nunez, with Adam Webster missing the ball as he attempted to cut out the pass. As he broke through on goal, his original shot was saved but parried back into his, allowing him to tap into an empty net.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Liverpool 7-1 Brighton
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that despite going a goal behind again, Liverpool could produce another world-class performance at Anfield, scoring seven goals against Brighton. Hat-tricks from Salah and Nunez helped secure the emphatic win, and anything similar on Saturday will be warmly welcomed by the Liverpool faithful.
What do you think the score will be between Liverpool and Brighton on Saturday? Let us know in the comments!
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