Brighton could be without six players for Liverpool’s Premier League visit to the South Coast – with ex-Reds James Milner and Adam Lallana set to miss out.
Liverpool travel to the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon looking to avenge their controversial defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday, in which Luis Diaz saw first-goal wrongly ruled out. Defeat in North London was the Reds’ first in all competitions in over six months, with their last coming at the hands of Manchester City on April 1.
Brighton, meanwhile, head into Sunday’s encounter off the back of a tricky couple of weeks, which included a 6-1 thrashing at Aston Villa last weekend. In total, Roberto De Zerbi’s side have won just one of their last five games in all competitions.
And their prospects of looking to make it consecutive Premier League victories over Liverpool appear to be handed a blow with six players set to potentially Sunday’s game.
Forward Julio Enciso hasn’t featured since Brighton’s 4-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in August. The Paraguayan has since suffered a knee injury that De Zerbi has confirmed will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable.
Speaking in August, De Zerbi said of Enciso’s situation: “A longer period. Unfortunately, it can happen in football. I am sorry for him because he was playing very well, but football is like this sometimes.’
Joining Enciso on the sidelines this weekend will be Pervis Estupinan, who is not expected to return to fitness until after the intentional break at the earliest
Asked about Estupinan’s situation prior to Thursday’s Europa League tie against Marseille, De Zerbi said: He’s injured and can’t play for a long time. One month, more or less. I don’t know the right time, but it’s a muscular injury, and it is not for a game or two.”
Former Liverpool vice-captain Milner, who ended his glittering eight-year stay at Anfield in the summer, will miss Sunday’s game with a muscle injury that has already kept him sidelined from the Seagulls’ most recent games against Marseille and Aston Villa.
Lallana is also facing the prospect of missing the latest reunion with Liverpool, with De Zerbi revealing that the injury that kept the midfield out of last weekend’s trip to Villa Park isn’t too serious but could keep him sidelined until after the international break.
Captain Lewis Dunk, meanwhile, could miss the clash as he continues to suffer from illness, while Jakub Moder continues to be a long-term absentee.
