Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has delivered his prediction for what he calls Liverpool’s ‘biggest game of the season’ against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
The Reds are coming off back to back defeats to Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, however, Merson feels they will prevail 3-1 at the AMEX Stadium.
“This is the biggest game of the season for Liverpool, even bigger than the Manchester City game,” he wrote on the Sky Sports website. “They have to win this game, if they draw it will just be a disaster. Going out of the FA Cup was a blessing in disguise. They put all of their eggs in one basket, which they should, but that will count for nothing if they don’t win at Brighton.
“They have to win this game or they will not win the league. This is a really hard game for Liverpool, especially what they have been through the last few weeks, but I reckon they will hold their nerve.”
OPINION
This is certainly an important game for Liverpool, but perhaps not as season-altering as Merson believes it to be. It’s simply not true that if the Reds don’t win this game they won’t win the league. This is a mentally strong Liverpool team who would certainly be capable of bouncing back from that type of disappointment. Yes, they’ve lost two games in a row, but one of them was a close defeat to City and the other a cup tie against Wolves where Jurgen Klopp essentially put the reserves out. A lot more has been made of this run of form than is strictly necessary. Brighton will be tough opposition on Saturday, Chris Hughton will have them well organised, but Liverpool should have more than enough to overcome them. They simply have too much quality going forward for the Seagulls to be able to cope. 3-1 is probably a sensible prediction from Merson, despite all his hyperbole.
