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Brighton and Hove Albion host Liverpool on Wednesday evening in what is set to be a fascinating encounter in the Carling Cup.
As soon as the draw was made for the third round of this competition, this tie stood out as one of the ones to watch.
It pits a club on the up against one of the most famous in English football. It really is mouth watering stuff.
Brighton have certainly come a long way of late. After occupying a place in League One for five years, they are back in the Championship, have a new stadium, an exciting young squad and one of the most highly rated young managers around in Gus Poyet.
They are doing incredibly well following promotion last year too. They may well have lost against Leicester City at the weekend, but the Seagulls sit 3rd in the Championship following an impressive start to the season.
This means that their dream of reaching the Premier League is as close as it ever has been. Of course there is a long way to go this year, but they have created an excellent platform to be there or there abouts.
If they do make it to the top flight – whether that be this year or in the future – they will come up against opponents such as Liverpool on a regular basis.
For now though, they are to face Kenny Dalglish’s men in the Carling Cup to represent the biggest match their new stadium has seen so far.
Referring to Liverpool for a moment, they haven’t had it all their own way this year. They have impressed many with their form at times, but two defeats in two games has seen them slip to 8th in the table.
They could certainly do without being knocked out of the Carling Cup against lower league opposition, so they will be taking this contest very seriously indeed.
In fact, they should be taking the whole competition seriously. It is one they should aim to be winning. Liverpool fans demand silverware and this is arguably the easiest path to winning a trophy this year.
It will be far from easy at Brighton though who will be more than up for the challenge. A fascinating match awaits.
Match odds
Premier League Liverpool are understandably favourites and can be backed at 1.67 (4/6) with Bet365 for the win.
If you fancy an upset, the best odds you can find for a home victory are 5.00 (4/1) with BoyleSports.
The draw – which appears to be proving very popular at the moment – can be selected at 4.00 (3/1) with VC Bet.
Correct score
Even if you think this one is an inevitable away victory, it doesn’t stop you getting some value out of your betting. Make sure that if you fancy Liverpool for the win, you take a punt on the correct score.
For Dalglish’s men to win comfortably, you can back at them 14.00 (13/1) with Paddy Power for a 3-0 victory. Similar to this, you can back Liverpool to win 3-1 at 13.00 (12/1) with Ladbrokes.
The latter is perhaps the one to go for if you think Brighton will have their moment, but eventually Liverpool will be the ones to go through.
If you expect a tighter contest, a 1-0 Liverpool win is available at 9.00 (8/1), while a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes is 17.00 (16/1) with SkyBet.
First goalscorer
As expected, Liverpool lead the way with this one. Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez are the favourites at 5.00 (4/1), while Craig Bellamy (6.00 / 5/1) could be the man to back if you expect Dalglish to give his new signing a run out in this game.
For Brighton, Craig Mackail-Smith is their most likely contender for opening goalscorer. The former Peterborough man – who has scored three times in all competitions this year – is available at 9.00 (8/1) with Ladbrokes.
Recommened bets
Liverpool to win 3-1 @ 13.00 (12/1)
Craig Bellamy to score first @ 6.00 (5/1)
