Liverpool vs Brighton Prediction: Iraola Faces Hürzeler's High-Flying Seagulls at Anfield

Liverpool host Brighton at Anfield on 25 October 2026, a Premier League matchweek 8 fixture where the gap between the sides is real: Liverpool have 12 points from seven games, Brighton have 16. Liverpool sit fifth under Andoni Iraola, who needs a home performance that looks nothing like the City defeat, whereas Brighton arrive third and riding an eight match unbeaten run across all competitions, including a 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace.

This is the first Premier League meeting between Iraola and Hürzeler, two managers with no tactical history on each other and everything to prove in this fixture. Iraola took charge at Liverpool on 4 June 2026 after Arne Slot's departure, Hürzeler has been at Brighton since 1 July 2024 following Roberto De Zerbi's exit.

Liverpool beat Brentford 2-1 on 17 October, got torn apart 3-0 by Manchester City four days earlier, then somehow clawed back from 3-0 down to beat Villarreal 4-3 in the Champions League on 20 October, the kind of form that wins you admirers and loses you sleep in equal measure. Brighton, by contrast, have been relentlessly consistent, winning four and drawing one of their last five, with the Crystal Palace rout on 18 October from a side that has scored 23 league goals in seven games.

Liverpool are without Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring/thigh), Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) and Conor Bradley (knee), Bradley and Frimpong were their two most advanced fullbacks and neither has a direct replacement in the squad. Brighton are missing Kaoru Mitoma (hamstring) and Evan Ferguson (ankle), stripping Hürzeler of his most direct wide runner and a central striking option simultaneously, which leaves him relying on central combinations through Yasin Ayari and Diego Gómez.

Iraola has built Liverpool around a 4-2-3-1 that presses high and moves the ball quickly up the pitch. Alexander Isak leads the line with five goals already and is comfortably Liverpool's most dangerous player, Florian Wirtz provides creativity behind him, while Alexis Mac Allister does the unglamorous box to box work that ties everything together. Without Szoboszlai, Frimpong and Bradley, Mac Allister will likely carry more of the transitional load, which could blunt Liverpool's speed going forward. Virgil van Dijk anchors the defence.

Brighton have scored 23 league goals in seven games. Diego Gómez shoots early and often from distance, Lewis Dunk organises the back line, Ayari drives from midfield and Charalampos Kostoulas fills in up front with Ferguson out. The most interesting battle is probably Isak against Dunk, who has looked excellent all season and whether Wirtz can find space against a Brighton midfield that closes quickly. Liverpool's press can generate turnovers but a side that has scored 23 times in seven league games does not need many chances to punish a back four caught out of shape.

Liverpool have 24 wins to Brighton's 9 across roughly 44 meetings, with 11 draws, though the balance has shifted in recent years as Brighton have become increasingly capable of frustrating the bigger sides at Anfield through disciplined defending and sharp counter attacks.

Dunk's aerial presence has helped Brighton at set pieces, while van Dijk remains Liverpool's most dangerous outlet from dead balls. Brighton need the points to keep pace with the top two, Liverpool need them to stop their start from quietly unravelling. Coming back from 3-0 down to beat Villarreal 4-3 is not something a side in freefall does but one good result does not fix the gaps left by three absent starters.

A 2-2 draw feels right. Isak and the home crowd give Liverpool early momentum but Brighton's counter attacking pace, even without Mitoma, proves too sharp for a defence already stretched by absentees. Gómez or Ayari are the most likely sources of goals going the other way, with Brighton's 23 goals in seven games suggesting they will find a way through and Wirtz probably drags Liverpool level late on, which is where this one ends.