Liverpool team news: Kirby ruled out

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Bruce Talbot

2025-01-17T06:00+00:00

Fran Kirby. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

More than a month since their last game, Albion return to WSL action on Friday when they take on Liverpool.

It will be Albion’s first visit to the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens, where the Reds now play the majority of their home games having moved there from Prenton Park, Tranmere, in the summer.

The game is live on Sky Sports, kick off 7pm.

Team news

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Players and coaching staff were working hard on the training ground on Thursday morning, ahead of the long trip north to face Liverpool at the St Helens Stadium on Friday evening in the Women's Super League. Club photographer Paul Hazlewood was at the training complex to capture some pictures from the session.

At his pre-match press conference, Dario Vidosic said, “A couple more players have rejoined the squad this week and we’ve had a few returning players since we came back after Christmas. Fran Kirby is still a couple of weeks away but she is getting close.”

Dario Vidovic’s thoughts…

Playing again… “Saturday’s postponement was frustrating, but the players’ safety is paramount, there is nothing you can do about a frozen pitch. So we’re really looking forward to getting back on the pitch. The girls want to be back out on the pitch – a month is a long time without a game.”

Reaching the halfway point in the WSL season… “Are we ahead of schedule being fifth in the league? I don’t really look it that way. We’ve played really well in the majority of games but there is a lot more learning for us to do. We have spent the last couple of weeks working on smaller details with and without the ball that can make a big difference in games.”

Liverpool… “They have got a lot of quality in their team and a very experienced manager. They have also added a couple of players already in the January window. We’ve seen already this season against any team, regardless of league position, that in games were you are a bit low you can get punished. We will have to be at our best but it’s a game we’re really looking forward to.”

Player to watch

Striker Cornelia Kapocs is Liverpool's top scorer this season with four goals in all competitions. The 24-year-old Swedish U-23 international joined from Linkoping in the summer, having scored 18 goals last season. Kapocs’ strike from 35 yards against Spurs earlier in the season was nominated for goal of the month.

Stats and facts

Liverpool have won each of their last three WSL meetings with Brighton and Hove Albion, including a 4-0 win in this fixture last season.

Albion won two of their first three games against Liverpool in the WSL (L 1) but are winless in four meetings with the Reds since (D1 L3).

This will be Liverpool's first WSL home match played on,a Friday since September 2017, when they lost 3-0 to Reading. Meanwhile Brighton have already played a league match on a Friday this season, losing 5-0 away to Arsenal on MD7.

Liverpool lost only one of their first six WSL games this season (W2 D3) but have since lost four In a row without scoring; the Reds have never lost five in a row in the competition without finding the net.

Albion are winless in seven games away from home in the WSL In the month of January (D1 L6), since beating Liverpool 2-0 in January 2019.

Excluding the current top three sides in the WSL, Albion rank first for average possession (53.2%), passes made (4917) and open play sequences of 10+ passes (105).

Liverpool have conceded from a corner In both of their last two WSL games, after 13 of the first 14 goals they conceded in the league this season came from open play (1 penalty); only in the 2017 Spring Series have the Reds conceded via a corner in three straight top-flight matches.

Albion are averaging 2.3 goals scored and 1.0 goals against at home in the Women's Super League this season (6 games), but just 0.8 goals per game and 2.5 goals against away from home (4 games).

Four of Liverpool midfielder Ceri Holland's six WSL goals have come against Albion, with each of her last four goals in the competition coming against the Seagulls across three different games. No player has ever scored in four straight appearances against the same opponent In the competition without netting against a different side in between.

Only Aston Villa's Jordan Nobbs (29) has recorded more shots and chances created combined In the WSL this season without either scoring or assisting than Brighton's Vicky Losado (20 - 7 shots, 13 chances) and Liverpool's Ceri Holland (18 - 12 shots, 6 chances).

Match officials