Liverpool switch their focus back to the Premier League on Saturday when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield.

The Reds remain eight points clear at the top of the table having dropped only two of the 39 points on offer so far this season, but were held to a 1-1 draw in front of their own fans by Napoli on Wednesday night.

Match preview

Such has been Liverpool's form in recent times that any match they do not win will cause headlines, but there had been warning signs prior to the midweek Napoli draw.

Indeed, there are surprisingly few games this season in which the Reds can be said to have been at their best, yet they have still won 18 of their 21 fixtures across all competitions and sit eight points clear at the top of the table.

It begs the question - just how will anyone stop them if they do rediscover their top form?

The level of performance will only be of secondary importance for Jurgen Klopp given that his side continue to pick up results, and he will be aware that a drop-off would only be natural during a spell which will see them play 12 games in the space of 37 days.

Even so, the failure to beat Napoli on Wednesday means that their final group game against Red Bull Salzburg on December 10 carries much greater importance, with defeat in Austria likely to see them crash out of the Champions League a little more than six months after lifting the trophy.

Losing is not something Liverpool have made a habit of in recent years, though, and Saturday's late triumph over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park made it 30 Premier League games without defeat stretching back to January, during which time they have picked up 80 points from a possible 90.

Only two teams have ever enjoyed a longer unbeaten run in the competition's history, and if Liverpool can extend that this weekend then they would equal their own top-flight club record of 31, set during the 1987-88 campaign.

The Reds unsurprisingly went on to win the league that season, but the fact that they are being made to fight for every victory this term means that there has been no chance for complacency to creep in. Seven of their 12 top-flight wins have been by a one-goal margin, preventing anyone from looking too far ahead to the prospect of a first title in 30 years.

Of course, with each passing week that looks more likely with Liverpool still eight points clear of Leicester City and nine above champions Manchester City - a commanding lead for a team that has lost just one of their last 52 Premier League games.

A slip-up certainly does not look like coming at Anfield, where Klopp's side have not lost in any competition since September 2018 and in the league since April 2017 - runs of 31 and 46 matches respectively.

Curiously, though, Liverpool are currently enduring their worst clean sheet run since 1998. The Reds have conceded in each of their last 11 matches across all competitions and have only kept three shutouts throughout the season, all of which came with Adrian in goal.

There have been no clean sheets at all at Anfield, which is a wholly unexpected chink in their armour given their strength in that department last season.

Only Napoli have been able to truly expose that weakness to any great effect so far this term, and Graham Potter will no doubt have been watching the Italian outfit's performance closely on Wednesday as they ended Liverpool's 17-match winning streak at Anfield.

Any result on Merseyside would further enhance the reputation of a manager that has already impressed so much that the club handed him a new six-year contract this week, just six months after he was initially appointed.

It has certainly been an encouraging start for the Seagulls, who in terms of points are closer to the top five than they are the bottom three, but Potter will know just how quickly things can change and, while their current position of 12th will feel comfortable, they are only two points above the much more perilous 17th place.

The timing of Potter's new deal was a clear message of support following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Leicester City, particularly considering their fixtures do not get any easier.

After Saturday's visit to Liverpool they face Arsenal, high-flying Wolverhampton Wanderers, a derby against Crystal Palace, an impressive Sheffield United and then an away trip to a Tottenham Hotspur side out for revenge and seemingly rejuvenated under Jose Mourinho.

It may not be a schedule quite as crowded as that of Liverpool, but it is one from which Brighton would do well to continue their average of more than a point per game, particularly with four of those six games coming away from home, where the Seagulls are winless since the opening day.

Indeed, only Aston Villa have picked up fewer points on the road this season, with Brighton losing four of their last five and winning just twice on their travels throughout the entirety of 2019 so far.

Anfield is an unlikely place for them to improve that record, but with Liverpool coming off the back of a Champions League game and with one eye on a Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday, they will nonetheless hope to spring a shock this weekend.

Liverpool Premier League form: WDWWWW
Liverpool form (all competitions): WWWWWD

Brighton form: WLWWLL

Team News

Concerns over Fabinho's fitness were always more to do with next week's derby against Everton given that the Brazilian is suspended for this match anyway having picked up his fifth booking of the season last weekend.

Nonetheless, the news that Klopp's midfield destroyer has suffered ankle ligament damage and will miss the rest of the year will come as a major blow to the team.

Georginio Wijnaldum replaced Fabinho in midweek and could operate in the slightly deeper role again, although Klopp has previously deployed Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana in that position too and all are options for this match.

Mohamed Salah returned against Napoli and came through unscathed, while Naby Keita is expected to be available again after missing the last match through illness.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to come back into the starting lineup after being rested in midweek, but Joel Matip is still facing a few more weeks on the sidelines.

Brighton will be boosted by the return of captain Lewis Dunk from suspension, while Aaron Connolly could be back from a groin injury which ruled him out of the defeat against Leicester.

Solly March has an outside chance of recovering from a groin issue of his own, but Saturday's match will come too soon for Bernardo, while Jose Izquierdo remains a long-term absentee.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Lallana, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Brighton possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Montoya, Dunk, Duffy, Burn; Alzate, Propper, Stephens, Trossard; Maupay, Connolly

Head To Head

Liverpool have dominated this fixture in recent times, winning each of the last seven meetings across all competitions including all four in the Premier League era by an aggregate scoreline of 11-2.

Nine of those goals came during Brighton's first season in the division, though, with the Seagulls vastly improving last term and only going down 1-0 both home and away - Salah getting the goals on both occasions.

Brighton have not beaten Liverpool since an FA Cup match in January 1984, while their only ever league win at Anfield was a 1-0 triumph in March 1982, incidentally when Liverpool were also European champions.

We say: Liverpool 2-0 Brighton

Everything points to a Liverpool win in this match, and there could even be a long overdue clean sheet to boot. The Reds have not been blowing teams away this season and Brighton are organised enough to make this another difficult match, but it should at least be victory by more than a one-goal margin for the league leaders.