Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool

Amex Stadium forms the backdrop for an exciting FA Cup fourth-round tie between high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion and out-of-sorts Liverpool.

Brighton roared into the FA Cup round four in style, humbling second-tier Middlesbrough 5-1, and are now looking to beat Liverpool twice in a row for the first time in the club’s history following a 3-0 Premier League demolition earlier in January. Roberto De Zerbi’s men have scored precisely three goals in their two this season’s league encounters against the ‘Reds’ (W1, D1), which bodes well for their bid to end a two-game losing FA Cup run against reigning holders. Adding to Brighton’s confidence, they’ve progressed from three of their last four FA Cup fourth-round ties. Moreover, they’ve enjoyed an almost perfect start to the new calendar year (W3, D1), netting a whopping 14 goals across those four matches.

In the meantime, Liverpool could only manage a frustrating 0-0 draw at fellow mid-table rivals Chelsea last weekend, losing further ground on the Premier League top-four pace. Except for a hard-fought 1-0 triumph at Wolverhampton Wanderers in their third-round replay, Jurgen Klopp’s lads have gone winless in four of their last five outings in all competitions (D2, L2), casting doubt on their effort to defend the FA Cup title. On a more positive note, the ‘Reds’ have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the build-up to this trip after going seven consecutive games without a shutout. That said, Liverpool have conceded precisely three goals on three of their last five domestic road trips (W2, L3), suggesting a blank sheet may not be on the cards.