Jurgen Klopp’s side have suffered successive losses but will be confident of bouncing back at the Amex

Liverpool have suffered successive defeats against Manchester City and Wolves, and on Saturday are out to ensure they do not suffer an unwanted hat-trick when they tackle Brighton.

The 2-1 reverse away to Manchester City on January 3 was the first they had suffered in the league all season, and in spite of that result they still command a healthy four-point advantage at the summit.

Brighton’s quest to avoid relegation, meanwhile, is going well thus far. The Amex club are 10 points clear of the bottom three and are undefeated in their last four in all competitions.

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In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be played during the blackout period and will not be broadcast or streamed.

Brighton made eight changes for their FA Cup win over Bournemouth last weekend but are set to return to Premier League mode in this encounter.

Bernardo is out so Gaetan Bong starts at left-back in the only change from their 2-2 draw with West Ham.

Goalkeeper Maty and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are away on Asian Cup duty with Australia and Iran respectively, while Jose Izquierdo is absent.

Confirmed Brighton starting XI: Button; Montoya, Dunk, Duffy, Bong; Propper, Stephens, Gross, March; Murray, Locadia.

Bench: Steele, Balogun, Bruno, Kayal, Sanders, Knockaert, Andone.

Rhian Brewster and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are still on the injury list long term. Liverpool remain without Joe Gomes and Joel Matip due to a fractured leg and a broken collarbone respectively, although the latter could play against Crystal Palace next week. 

Dejan Lovren is out with a hamstring problem amid the Reds’ injury crisis at centre-back, meaning Fabinho lines up alongside Virgil van Dijk.

Jordan Henderson is fit after he missed Monday’s game with Wolves due to a minor complaint, while Xherdan Shaqiri has been given a start, too.

Confirmed Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Van Djik, Robertson; Henderson, Shaqiri, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Bench: Mignolet, Milner, Keita, Moreno, Origi, Matip, Camacho.

Liverpool are hot 3/10 favourites to come away with the win, according to bet365. Brighton are priced at 10/1 and a draw is 5/1.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

Liverpool’s unbeaten record may be gone, but there are few signs of their title challenge fading as Jurgen Klopp’s outfit aim to break a duck that has stretched back to 1990.

Defeat to Manchester City is nothing to be ashamed of, while Monday’s FA Cup match against Wolves was certainly not to the top of their priority list. Indeed, the defeat may prove a blessing as it leaves their schedule relatively clear before the pace picks up in February, when the Champions League restarts.

Until then, Liverpool can focus on the league and will be expected to maximise the number of points they take, with a relatively straightforward run against Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester, West Ham and Bournemouth.

Roberto Firmino, though, knows that the Reds cannot afford to take any of these fixtures lightly.

“It’ll be a difficult game,” he told the club’s website.

“Losing is obviously always bad; nobody likes to lose, and certainly not me. But now we’ve got to bounce back. We’ve worked hard every day so we’re prepared for the weekend. It’ll be a big game, a difficult game and we’ll do our best to get the three points.

“That’s what the Premier League is all about – it’s intensely competitive. If the team at the top stutters, the second place will overtake them.

“We know we can’t go to sleep and lose silly points. We must maintain our focus until the end of the season.”

On the other side of the fence, Brighton go into the game with the pressure off them. Ten points clear of the relegation zone, they are surprising this season and manager Chris Hughton has played down their expectations for the encounter.

“Can we go into the game with some comfort? We can until kick-off time and then it’s about how you perform on the day,” he said.

“They will be big favourites, as everybody would imagine, and it will be us doing as well as we can on the day.”

Unbeaten in four, including a 1-1 home draw with Arsenal, Brighton have proven themselves to be no pushovers, but they have lost all of their last six against Liverpool – a run they desperately want to arrest.

Ayumu Goromaru’s chance to have a much-awaited match up against his home country is set to be decided by Karmichael Hunt.

Hunt missed last weekend’s game against the Hurricanes with a groin injury , giving Goromaru his first starting opportunity of the year.

The Japanese Test star played the full 80 minutes of that match, but could be pushed to the bench or out of the 23 entirely for Saturday’s match against the Sunwolves if Hunt is fit.

Reds captain James Slipper said he was confident in both Goromaru and Hunt to perform at fullback, regardless of who was ultimately picked.

“We’re still waiting on Karmichael’s injury to see if he’s fit but we’re extremely confident in either player,” he said.

“‘Goro’ did an exceptional job last weekend. The whole team didn’t’ perform at its best,” he said.

“I think ‘Goro’ or Karmichael can do the job this weekend and we’ll be confident in either player.”

This week’s selection battle comes amid reports that Toulon is set to announce its signing of Goromaru by the end of the month, meaning this could be his only chance to meet his compatriots.

Goromaru is one of two Japanese test players in the Reds squad, with Hendrik Tui likely to line up in the back row for the Sunwolves’ first visit to Australia .

Slipper said while the match held significance for the Japanese representative duo, it was as important for the Reds’ season, as they look to notch a third win.

“We definitely have two class players who are pretty keen on playing this game,” he said.

“(They’ve) both played for Japan themselves and I’m sure they know quite a few players that are coming here this weekend.

“It’s going to be an important game for them but important for us as well, one we’re looking forward to.”

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The Reds have won two matches at home, against the Highlanders and the Cheetahs, and Slipper said they wanted to give their fans another chance to celebrate.

“It’s been tough the last couple of weeks,” he said.

“We’ve been playing good rugby but at the same time we’ve been disappointed with the end results.

“So if we can get back here in front of our fans and get the win against the Sunwolves that’d be ideal and it’s something we’re working hard to achieve.”

The St George Foundation is donating $5000 to the Salvation Army, to support ongoing earthquake relief efforts

Locks Ben Matwijow and Cadeyrn Neville will auction off their one-off headgear to the cause, as part of the Reds’  Be Great, Do Good initiative.

Members of the Gold Coast-based Japan and Friends Society will be at Suncorp to collect donations to further boost relief funds.

Wallabies hooker James Hanson will move south at the end of the season, signing a two-year deal with the Melbourne Rebels.

The 26 year old has 78 Super Rugby caps for Queensland but it’s the opportunity to push his Wallabies’ claims that proved most enticing.

“I have aspirations to achieve success at both a Club and International level, and I am confident that I will be able to realise these by moving to Melbourne and joining the Rebels,” Hanson said.

Nine Wallabies caps since his debut in 2012, Hanson has battled for selection alongside Saia Fainga’a at the Reds as well as Wallabies level.

The man known as ‘Chibba’ no stranger to Melbourne as well as Rebels coach Tony McGahan, having played under him during McGahan’s reign as Wallabies’ Coaching Coordinator.

“James’ excellence in the set piece area, added to his ability to contribute to our strong playing group, is invaluable,” McGahan said.

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The addition of Hanson a win for the Rebels, after they lost rising star Cadeyrn Neville to Ballymore for 2016.

Our Fantasy writer reviews an exciting week of English football and picks out the 11 best players from Manchester City, Liverpool, Watford, and more

There was certainly no shortage of excitement in match week 17 of the Premier League. Four teams (Manchester City, Watford, Southampton, Liverpool) recorded three or more goals this week, and all of them picked up wins. No team can win without individual efforts though, which certainly reflected in Fantasy as all four of those clubs have at least one entrant in this edition of the Goal Fantasy Team of the Week, which you can find below.

GK: Martin Dubravka – Newcastle – 1 Game, 6 Saves, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points

DF: Javier Manquillo – Newcastle – 1 Game, 1 Assist, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points

While owned by hardly anyone in the Goal game (.16%), Manquillo picked up an impressive 10 points for those that did select the Spaniard this week. The clean sheet was well earned, although not exactly a shock as it came against a Cardiff, but the assist was definitely a collector’s item as it was just his second in five Premier League seasons. Because of that, the Newcastle defender has a very low ceiling and, therefore, very little value.

DF: Kieran Trippier – Tottenham – 1 Game, 1 Clean Sheet = 7 Points

DF: Jose Holebas – Watford – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 2 Goals Conceded = 7 Points

MF: Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Arsenal – 1 Game, 2 Goals = 14 Points

This has certainly not been the season that Arsenal fans, or Mkhitaryan himself would have imagined, but he looked much better on Sunday, Despite the loss, the Armenian midfielder managed a brace against Southampton, thereby doubling his goal total for the season. Having played more than 60 minutes just four of the last 10 matches, the 29-year-old is far from a lock in Fantasy, but it’s nice to be reminded of the player he can be on his day.

MF: Xherdan Shaqiri – Liverpool – 1 Substitute Appearance, 2 Goals = 13 Points

MF: Eden Hazard – Chelsea – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 11 Points

Hazard has refound his form of late, having recorded an impressive five assists in the last four matches. That, plus his goal today, means the Chelsea talisman has already been involved in more goals this season (17) than last (16). The Belgian international is now only behind Mohamed Salah and, with the more favourable schedule of the two, don’t be surprised if Hazard overtakes him by the New Year.

MF: Sadio Mane – Liverpool – 1 Game, 1 Goal = 8 Points

FWD: Gabriel Jesus – Manchester City – 1 Game, 2 Goals = 12 Points

Having been largely ineffective in his first four starts, Jesus stepped up in a big way on Saturday, scoring two of Manchester City’s three goals against Everton. To be fair, this kind of fantasy performance was coming for the Brazilian as he was way underperforming in expected goals. In fact, he’s still in line for more goals by that metric but, with Aguero returning to fitness, it’s likely that Jesus will not get another chance to do so anytime soon.

FWD: Danny Ings – Southampton – 1 Game, 2 Goals = 12 Points

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The striker continues to shine for Diego Simeone’s men but feels the long and difficult year is weighing him down

Antoine Griezmann feels he is not at his best for Atletico Madrid despite his decisive double in their 3-2 win at Real Valladolid.

Griezmann doubled his side’s lead with a penalty on the stroke of half-time, but the hosts fired back in the second half to pull level.

The French striker settled the game with 10 minutes left, netting goal number 125 on his 300th La Liga appearance.

The 27-year-old is now on 10 goals in 23 games in all competitions this season, but he feels his pace is dropping as a long 2018, which included a Europa League title and France’s 2018 World Cup victory, is taking its toll on him.

“I can still improve, I am not at my best level, it has been a long year and sometimes I lack speed,” he told reporters.

“I’m very happy to be able to help the team. It’s a very long year, we have a game and then a little rest, there are games when it is difficult to be loose and fast, today was a day like that but I was able to score two goals.”

Griezmann was disappointed to see his side come under pressure in the second half after they controlled the opening 45 minutes, especially as coach Diego Simeone told them to take caution.

“We let them focus and we suffered, Simeone had warned us about that at the break,” he added.

“It was important to win away from home, which is what he is telling us. In the second half it cost us and the coach made changes that helped us to be better and we went to score a third.”

Griezmann’s penalty was held up because the referee paused to review a video replay, and the World Cup winner was asked for his thoughts on VAR.

“It’s long, but it was the right thing to do, it can make people angry. It’s a good thing especially when it’s going well for you. When it goes wrong, you get angry.”

Griezmann and Atletico face off against Espanyol in a week’s time, before they get a couple of weeks off until their next match against Sevilla on January 5. 

The 18-year-old midfielder was included from the off by Mauricio Pochettino for the clash with Burnley at Wembley Stadium

Oliver Skipp has become Tottenham’s youngest Premier League starter since Gareth Bale after being handed his league start against Burnley.

Mauricio Pochettino opted to include the youngster from the off during the Premeir Lague meeting.

Skipp has been involved with the Spurs first-team on previous occasions this season, and made his debut in a Carabao Cup clash with West Ham.

He was then handed his first top-flight minutes when stepping off the bench against Southampton.

That outing came at Wembley Stadium, and he was back at the home of English football on Saturday.

Pochettino shuffled his pack against Burnley, with an 18-year-old asked to patrol the middle of the park alongside Moussa Sissoko.

Skipp is highly regarded by Tottenham as another product of their famed academy system.

In figuring against Burnley, he has followed in some illustrious footsteps for the north London outfit.

Bale was not a home-grown product for Spurs, having been acquired from Southampton, but he was a teenager when introduced to the fold.

The Welshman made his debut back in 2007 against Manchester United.

Skipp is the youngest Premier League starter since then, and the fifth youngest in Tottenham’s Premier League history.

Stephen Carr, Andy Turner and Philip Ifil join Bale on the list of teenage talents to have been introduced early, with that trio all 17 when used for the first time.

Skipp will be hoping he can go on to emulate the likes of Carr and Bale, who both enjoyed productive spells with Spurs before taking on new challenges.

He could form part of a Premier League title challenge this season, with Pochettino’s side still very much in the mix despite the impressive starts enjoyed by Liverpool and Manchester City.

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The Reds skipper refuses to buy into the belief that Jurgen Klopp’s side have adopted a more defensive mindset during an unbeaten Premier League run

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Jordan Henderson claims Liverpool are “still an exciting side to watch” and have merely become “more mature”, rather than less attacking.

The Reds earned plenty of admirers during the 2017-18 campaign with an entertaining brand of football which saw Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane thrive.

While they were always a force to be reckoned with going forwards, it was not until the January arrival of Virgil van Dijk that they looked more assured at the back.

The big-money summer signing of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson has further strengthened the defensive unit and led to talk of Jurgen Klopp becoming more conservative.

Liverpool skipper Henderson refutes those claims, telling the club’s website: “We play the way that we play – I don’t think it has changed too much.

“We have controlled [matches] and maybe become more mature as a team in certain instances in games, where we have controlled the game a lot better, with the ball and even without the ball.

“I can definitely see that the maturity has helped us win games and keep clean sheets. But our style of play is there for everybody to see.

“We’re still an exciting team to watch, we want to be at a high intensity level. We want to score goals as well as defend well, that has never changed. The maturity in certain games has been much better this season.”

Henderson added on the improvements made at the back, with clean sheets being collected on a more regular basis: “We have defended very well – we’ve got a lot of clean sheets this season.

“To win trophies, you need to have that really, along with the attacking power and goals we’ve got.

“So far, it has been a good combination and we need to keep that going for the rest of the season if we want to do something really special. So far it has been good – hopefully it can get better, we can keep improving and keep winning games.”

Next up for Liverpool, who remain unbeaten through 16 Premier League games this season, is a crunch clash with arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield.

The Reds have not tasted a league victory over their old adversaries in their last eight meetings, but Henderson is not overly concerned by that record heading into another meeting on Merseyside.

He said: “It’s about focusing on what’s important.

“It’s not a great record against them over the last few years but it’s a different year, different teams and different players.

“A lot has changed since the last time we played them. For us, it’s another opportunity to go out and win a football game.”

Everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League clash at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday

Manchester City will be hoping to recall some key players to the starting line-up as they look to get back to winning ways at Leicester City on Boxing Day.

Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne were not fit enough to start the 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace, and David Silva had returned to training but was not ready to feature in the squad.

David Silva and Vincent Kompany have progressed well from their recent lay-offs but were not ready for Saturday’s game. Neither are likely to start in Leicester but Silva, at least, could make the bench.

Danilo was among the substitutes on Saturday and he could come into the line-up for Kyle Walker, who has struggled of late.

Fernandinho was not fully fit on Saturday but could well feature on Boxing Day.

Benjamin Mendy (knee) and Claudio Bravo (Achilles) are definitely out.

Neither side have any suspensions.

Danilo could come in at right-back for Walker, while John Stones could drop back into defence if Fernandinho is fit enough to return to the midfield.

De Bruyne is likely to come back into the midfield, and he would be partnered by either Ilkay Gundogan or Bernardo Silva.

Sergio Aguero is a candidate to replace Gabriel Jesus up front, while Riyad Mahrez may be selected to start at his former club. 

Under-fire Leicester boss Claude Puel, who eased some of the pressure on him with a shock win at Chelsea on Saturday, has no new injury worries for the game.

Daniel Amartey and Matthew James are long-term absentees.

Kick off is 15:00 GMT (10 ET) on Wednesday. The game will not be shown on TV in the United Kingdom. It will be shown on NBC in the United States, and on various channels around the world.

Liverpool’s commanding Dutch centre-half is considered to boast the potential which can make him the best defender the Premier League has ever seen

In Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool have found a player that is “John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic all rolled into one”, says Jamie Redknapp, with the Dutchman potentially the best Premier League defender of all time.

The Reds invested £75 million ($95m) in the Netherlands international back in January, making him the costliest player in his chosen position.

While breaking transfer records can be considered a gamble, those at Anfield have seen their show of faith richly rewarded.

Van Dijk is considered to have contributed significantly to Liverpool becoming Premier League title contenders, with there few obvious weaknesses in his game.

Former Reds star Redknapp believes the 27-year-old is the finest all-round defender he has ever seen, telling the Daily Mail: “We are only halfway through the season but already nobody comes close to Virgil van Dijk in the race for Player of the Year. He is the one player every team would love to have in their side.

“Think of the best defenders in Premier League history — John Terry, Rio Ferdinandand Nemanja Vidic. Van Dijk is all three players rolled into one.

“He reads the game like Terry and is a lovely passer, getting the ball out of his feet and spraying 30-yard balls. Van Dijk is blessed with the pace of Rio, too. Rarely do you see him caught out in a one-v-one situation.

“While he is not as aggressive as Vidic, he has that same warrior spirit and will to win. He is calm, cool, composed in the air and is a brilliant leader.”

Redknapp added on Van Dijk’s potential to cement legend status while landing major honours: “Never mind player of the season — if he carries on playing at this level, he has all the attributes to be the Premier League’s greatest ever defender. I am just surprised that it has taken until now for him to be starring in a team competing for Premier League titles.

“To become the greatest, Van Dijk has to win trophies. He reached the Champions League final last season and now has a great chance of winning the Premier League.

“If Liverpool are to be crowned champions this season, Van Dijk is the one player they can least afford to lose to injury.”

Van Dijk has been an ever-present for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, helping them to cement a standing at the top of the table.

Jurgen Klopp’s side, who remain unbeaten through 18 games, have opened up a four-point lead on reigning champions Manchester City.

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Nemanja Matic was signed by former manager Jose Mourinho, having won a league title with the Portuguese at Chelsea, but was delighted with the 5-1 win

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told his players to run more and be more dangerous in attack after arriving at Manchester United, Nemanja Matic has revealed.

Solskjaer was appointed as interim boss at Old Trafford after Jose Mourinho was sacked on Tuesday, and got off to an emphatic start by beating Cardiff City 5-1 in his opening game.

The players had come under criticism for a lack of effort under their former manager, with some critics claiming Mourinho had lost the support of the dressing room.

United had renewed energy on Saturday though, and Solskjaer was pleased with how the players implemented his ideas.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Matic said of the Norwegian: “He is only two days with us but we had a few meetings. He said we need to play more forward, to be more dangerous in attack, to run more, to compete with everything and that’s exactly what we did today and we are happy because of that.”

Matic was signed by United in 2017 from Chelsea for £40 million ($50m), and had previously won a Premier League title under Mourinho at Chelsea.

The midfielder was then singled out by his manager last season as one of the few United players to be putting in consistent performances.

Matic was a key reason United secured a second-place finish in the Premier League that campaign, and he defended Mourinho after the club’s worst start to a season for 28 years.

“This is football,” he continued. “In football, this happens. We know, also, it’s not only the manager’s fault that results are not good but this is football and we have to carry on and to fight for the club.”

“I said after the Liverpool game we also needed to take responsibility and to do our best to play better and to win games.”

United face Huddersfield Town at home on Boxing Day next time out as Solskjaer aims for a win on his Old Trafford debut as manager.

They then clash with Bournemouth before a trip to Newcastle United to round off the festive period.