Liverpool vs. Brighton and Hove Albion Preview

Fa Cup

Football
Published: 12/02/2012

A Will Buckley strike against the run of play knocked Newcastle United out of the F.A Cup at the fourth round stage and subsequently rewarded Brighton & Hove Albion with another champagne tie against seven time winners Liverpool at Anfield in the last 16 on Sunday February 19.

Dirk Kuyt’s late lash into the bottom corner saw Liverpool overcome arch rivals Manchester United 2-1 in an epic cup clash and Kenny Dalglish will now be confident of further progress as he awaits the visit of Gus Poyet’s impressive Championship side.

After a rather disappointing start to the campaign, Liverpool’s season now appears to be coming to life - and the Kop certainly has a lot to look forward to and be optimistic about moving into the spring.

A Carling Cup final against Cardiff City at the end of February will offer Liverpool a serious chance of attaining their first piece of major silverware since 2006, whilst slip ups from their Premier League adversaries have opened the door for Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.

But with both Manchester clubs out of the F.A Cup and a seemingly plum draw against Brighton in this fixture, Dalglish’s men will be throwing as much weight as possible behind a bid to win football’s most famous knockout competition for an eighth time.

Brighton should not be taken lightly however and former Chelsea and Tottenham star Gus Poyet has made a real impact since his arrival at the club.

The Seagulls currently sit just a few points off the play-off zone in the Npower Championship and have caught the eye of many pundits and spectators for their bold displays throughout the season.

Defensively, Albion were excellent against Newcastle and demonstrated that they clearly have the ability to gain a result over almost anyone on their day.

There can be no doubts that a trip to Anfield is a far stiffer task for Poyet than hosting the Magpies – especially with Liverpool moving into such a strong position in terms of potential honours on the horizon.

But a similar performance to that against Newcastle United can surely see Brighton leave Anfield with their heads held high at the very least.

Liverpool are currently vying for outright F.A Cup favouritism at around 7/2 and that is no surprise considering their last 16 draw and a match which they should comfortably win.

Their odds of 1/4 to win the match appear to make them absolute certainties – and whilst they can hardly be opposed, value is hardly resonating through the aforementioned price.

The hosts do not always find scoring goals easy and although they should be able to control tempo and possession enough to force a breakthrough, it may pay to side with the away team on the handicap. Brighton demonstrated their resolve against the Toon and a repeat is likely to keep them well in this contest until the latter stages.

The visitors can be taken at around even money with a two goal head start and that advantage can be held over the ninety minutes, giving the backer a fair return even in the event that Liverpool narrowly advance.

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Any odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of publishing (12/02/2012) but are subject to change.

12/02/2012     © Frixo 2024

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