Liverpool takes on high-flying Brighton in the Premier League this weekend, but both teams will be missing several key stars for such an important clash on Merseyside

Both Andoni Iraola and Fabian Hurzeler will be put to the test when Liverpool hosts Brighton at Anfield in the Premier League, with the two sides suffering from some injury concerns.

The Reds have made an interesting start to life under the Spanish head coach, losing just the one game in the division, with three wins and three draws from the opening seven matches so far. While it has been largely positive, there are slight concerns about how cohesive the team looks, with the attack and defense yet to truly click in a complete performance.

There are encouraging signs at both ends of the pitch at times, but equally, there have been worrying signs from both departments at different points of the campaign. The Liverpool players will be truly tested once again with the visit of Brighton, with the high-flying Seagulls showing plenty of quality in the early weeks of the season.

With five wins and one draw from the first seven matches, Hurzeler's players are the top scorers in the Premier League, with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Arsenal being the statement victory of the campaign so far.

Should both teams play at their full capability, then it will be an interesting tie, but it's one that will be missing key players from either side.

Starting with Liverpool, the Reds will be without six stars, as injury issues start to clamp down on Iraola. Dominik Szoboszlai is seemingly one of the closest to making a return, but he won't be available after a hamstring issue that saw him miss every game since the international break, bar the win over Brentford, which saw him come off with that same problem early on.

Victor Munoz is another major doubt after picking up a knee injury against Brentford, with the manager admitting it would be "difficult" for the Spaniard to return at the weekend. Jeremie Frimpong is another concern from that same game with the Bees, as Iraola claimed it would be a challenge for him to feature before the November international break.

Then there are the three long-term absentees. Giovanni Leoni has had a setback in his recovery from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury, which means he won't be back until the November international break at the earliest.

Both Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike are targeting returns before the end of the calendar year, with the former recovering from a knee problem, while the latter is ramping up his rehabilitation from an Achilles concern.

While Liverpool clearly has it difficult, Brighton has nine potential absentees from the match this weekend. Yankuba Minteh, who was linked with the Reds in the summer transfer window, is a doubt but could feature for the first time this season after requiring ankle surgery in preseason.

Mats Wieffer is another doubt, though he could feature, with Hurzeler admitting that the versatile 26-year-old could feature in training before traveling to Merseyside. Pascal Struijk may be available, though the manager hinted at being careful with the defender in his pre-match press conference, while Jason Steele could feature after suffering from an illness.

A whole host of forwards are definitely set to miss the game, including Kaoru Mitoma, Femi Azeez, Evan Ferguson, Stefanos Tzimas, and Zadok Yohanna, with the manager stressing patience when it comes to their availability and integration back into the group.

Despite those injuries, both teams have been picking up results, and they will be expecting to do the same when they meet at Anfield on Sunday.