Mansion Sports – The 2025/2026 Premier League season once again brings an eagerly anticipated fixture, as Liverpool host Brighton & Hove Albion in week 16.

This match is scheduled to take place at Anfield on Friday, 12 December 2025 at 15.00 local time.

All eyes will be on Mohamed Salah as Liverpool welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield in an intriguing Premier League match filled with compelling subplots on Saturday afternoon.

Both The Reds and The Seagulls aim to return to winning ways in the top flight after failing to secure maximum points against Leeds United and West Ham United last weekend.

Before the match begins, here are Mansion Sports’ predictions for the Liverpool vs Brighton lineups for December 2025.

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

Liverpool

The future of Mohamed Salah at Liverpool continues to dominate headlines, with major uncertainty surrounding whether he has already played his final match for a club accused of placing him in a difficult position and now managed by Arne Slot, who is said to no longer have a relationship with the Egyptian player.

There has been debate over whether Salah should have been benched during Liverpool’s last three Premier League matches, including the 3-3 draw with Leeds last weekend.

However, few would dispute that he has been performing far below his usual standards. This season, he has recorded his lowest per-90 numbers since joining Liverpool in shots (2.6), shots on target (0.8), and touches inside the opposition box (7.3).

Salah also ranks at the bottom among 45 wingers who have played at least 270 minutes in the Premier League this season in terms of defensive tracking back, and his presence was not required on Tuesday night as Slot left him out of the squad for the controversial 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan.

While Liverpool still face a challenging task in Europe to secure automatic qualification for the round of 16, their hopes of retaining the Premier League title appear to be fading, with only two wins in their last 10 matches (two draws, six defeats) leaving them in 10th place and 10 points behind leaders Arsenal, though only three points off fourth place.

Liverpool have collected just 23 points and conceded 24 goals from their first 15 Premier League matches this season, marking the worst start for a defending champion in both metrics since Leicester in the 2016–17 campaign.

Defensive weakness has become a major issue, with 48 goals conceded across 35 Premier League fixtures in 2025. They have only twice previously conceded 50 or more goals in a single calendar year.

Slot and his team can at least take some comfort from the fact that Liverpool have lost only one of their last eight Premier League home meetings with Brighton (five wins, two draws), although that defeat came when they were also defending champions in February 2021.

Brighton

Four days after suffering a 4-3 home defeat to Aston Villa, Brighton had the perfect opportunity to capitalise on Chelsea’s draw against Bournemouth and climb into the top four with a win over West Ham United last weekend.

However, The Seagulls lacked creativity in that match, with all four of their shots on target coming after the 89th minute, including Georginio Rutter’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium.

Manager Fabian Hürzeler admitted that his side did not deserve more than a point after a performance lacking energy and intensity.

The result placed them eighth in the Premier League table, level on points with Liverpool and three points behind Crystal Palace in fourth.

Brighton enter the busy end-of-year schedule with no wins in their last eight Premier League matches played in December (five draws, three defeats). Hürzeler has won in every other month since taking charge, except during the year’s final month.

Brighton have recorded two consecutive clean sheets in their last two away matches, and the last time they managed three in a row was between March and July 2020.

They are also seeking back-to-back victories over Liverpool for the first time, following their 3-2 win in the previous meeting at the Amex in May.

Liverpool vs Brighton Predicted Lineups – December 2025

Liverpool (4-3-3)

Liverpool will be without Cody Gakpo (undisclosed), Giovanni Leoni (ACL), and Conor Bradley (suspension), while Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring), Federico Chiesa (illness), and Wataru Endo (undisclosed) remain doubtful and will be assessed before kickoff.

Although Salah has contributed directly to 17 goals in his last 18 appearances against Brighton, it remains unclear whether he will make the squad for what could be his final match before joining Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored the decisive 88th-minute penalty against Inter, may continue in the right side of midfield if Salah is absent again.

Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, and Ryan Gravenberch will compete for midfield places, and Joe Gomez is expected to remain at right-back in Bradley’s absence.

Meanwhile, the return of Florian Wirtz could see one of Hugo Ekitike or Alexander Isak miss out on the starting lineup.

Brighton (4-2-3-1)

For Brighton, Stefanos Tzimas, Solly March, Adam Webster (all knee injuries) and James Milner (muscle) remain out, with Tzimas expected to be sidelined for several months.

Kaoru Mitoma has been absent since late September due to an ankle issue and will continue to be assessed along with Yasin Ayari (muscle) and Tom Watson (undisclosed).

If Ayari passes a late fitness test, he will likely compete with Diego Gomez and Jack Hinshelwood for a midfield role alongside Carlos Baleba, while Rutter is expected to remain the starting attacking midfielder behind striker Danny Welbeck after scoring his first goal of the season from 19 attempts last weekend.

This match presents numerous compelling storylines, both in terms of performance and internal dynamics within each team.

By understanding the latest conditions and the Liverpool vs Brighton Lineups for December 2025, you can watch the match with a more complete and analytical perspective. May the match provide an exciting spectacle for football fans.