Liverpool head to the south coast on Saturday afternoon for a first Premier League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion, aiming to keep their good run of form going.
The Reds have won four of their last five top-flight matches to remain firmly in top-four contention, though the gap on leaders Manchester City remains at a surely insurmountable 14 points.
Brighton & Hove Albion
© SilverHub
Ten matches into their top-flight return, Brighton find themselves exactly halfway between top and bottom after collecting a more-than-credible 17 points from a possible 42.
Boss Chris Hughton will be more than happy with that return heading into the festive period, even if he has been left frustrated by a run of four successive home draws since beating Newcastle United at the Amex Stadium 10 weeks ago.
Only Man City have left this part of the south coast with maximum points, in fact, doing so with a 2-0 victory on the opening weekend of the season - in hindsight, that margin of defeat is something to cheer for Albion fans in itself.
Brighton have also done well to pick up points on their travels, with victories away to West Ham United and Swansea City in recent weeks leaving them well clear of the dropzone and with an eye on cementing a place in the higher reaches of the bottom half.
With games against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to come this month, however, remaining afloat of danger will still be the key priority for Hughton, who has had a bad time of things in his previous encounters with Liverpool.
Former Norwich City boss Hughton has lost all three of those past league meetings against the Reds, conceding 15 goals in the process, but he will be confident of keeping things a little tighter this time around.
Momentum has slowly been built with just the one defeat in seven, during which time the Seagulls have collected 10 points from 21 on offer, and now Hughton is seeking a first major scalp of the campaign.
Achieving that is easier said than done, of course, particularly when taking into account the fact that Brighton have failed to overcome Everton, Southampton, Stoke City and Crystal Palace here in successive games. As proved against Manchester United last weekend, though, this will be far from an easy test for Liverpool.
Recent form in Premier League: WDWDLD
Liverpool
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Slowly but surely, Liverpool are finally beginning to find momentum under Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League following a number of false dawns, having recently racked up three league wins on the spin for the first time this calendar year.
Only a 1-1 draw to Chelsea has been enough to stop the Reds in the Premier League since their rather humiliating 4-1 loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on October 22, with Willian scoring what appeared to be a fortuitous late leveller at Anfield.
Fourteen goals have been scored during this ongoing five-match unbeaten run, leaving Liverpool in fifth place and now two points outside a Champions League berth, with the side directly above them still left to face before Christmas.
Klopp has essentially given up hope of clawing back the huge deficit on Man City, however, admitting that the Citizens' record-breaking start is making it impossible for others to stand a chance.
For now the task is to keep this positive form going - second only to the Citizens over the five six matches; 13 points from 15 - with Klopp making good use of his strength in depth during this busy period in the campaign.
Mohamed Salah, arguably the best signing of the summer so far in the Premier League, was left on the bench against Stoke City last time out, yet still managed to add two more goals to his tally late on - that is now 12 in 14 top-flight matches for him.
With Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino also being rotated in recent weeks, the Reds look in good shape to balance Champions League football with their domestic aspirations in the New Year, which ultimately proved to be their undoing in the early stages of 2017.
Questions still remain about their defensive setup, however, having shipped 16 goals on their travels this term - compared to just two at Anfield - while 15 goals have also been scored at the other end of the field. No team quite does away games like the often unpredictable Reds.
Recent form in Premier League: LWWWDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDDW
Team News
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Klopp has made a league-high 48 changes to his starting lineup this season, which is already 11 more than any other side, having been given the chance to rotate his forward line.
Salah and Coutinho look certain to return for this trip to the south coast, while skipper Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold can also provide fresh legs if called upon.
Elsewhere, Ragnar Klavan is doubtful as he continues to struggle through illness, and fellow centre-back Joel Matip is also struggling on the eve of the game.
As far as the hosts are concerned, Pascal Gross appears a sure starter after playing a direct part in eight of Brighton's 13 Premier League goals - three of his own and a further five assists.
Hughton is expected to recall fit-again Gaetan Bong in the backline, although Markus Suttner will be disappointed as he helped his side keep a clean sheet in the M23 derby against Palace in midweek.
The other big decision for Albion comes in midfield, where Solly March was thrown in against Man United last weekend and may be given the nod again for this one.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong; Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, March; Gross, Murray
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Lovren, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Coutinho; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Head To Head
These two sides played out an entertaining draw the last time they met in the top flight, sharing four goals at Brighton's former Goldstone Ground in 1983.
They have met six times since then in cup competitions, with Liverpool most recently recording a 6-1 victory in an FA Cup fifth-round tie just under five years ago.
Overall, they have faced off on 25 previous occasions - Brighton winning four of those and claiming a further eight draws.
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool will be desperate to become just the second side to leave here with maximum points this term as they attempt to keep their positive momentum alive. Brighton, without back-to-back league wins since returning to the big time, will likely welcome a fifth successive home draw, but even that may be too much to ask.
Daniel Lewis
