Liverpool v Brighton on Weather Watch as Storm Boelo Looms

There’s a proper dose of nerves around Anfield this weekend, and not just because Liverpool are hosting one of the league’s form sides. The big worry is that Liverpool v Brighton could be in serious danger of being postponed if Storm Boelo delivers the kind of weather the Met Office are warning about.

The Reds, under Andoni Iraola, have made a decent fist of the season so far and sit fifth after a strong start. Brighton, though, have been the real eye-catchers. They’re third, full of confidence, and fresh from hammering Crystal Palace 5-0 as well as putting Arsenal to the sword 3-0. On paper, this should be a cracking contest. But the weather may have other ideas.

Met Office warning raises real concerns

A yellow weather warning is in place for Merseyside across Saturday and Sunday, with gusts of 70 to 80mph possible. That is not the sort of forecast anyone wants when a Premier League match is due to be staged, especially with travelling supporters needing to get to and from the ground safely.

The Met Office has warned of strong winds spreading across northern parts of the UK, with heavy rain also in the mix. Some areas could see gusts of 55 to 65mph more widely, while exposed and coastal spots may be hit even harder. In plain English: it could get very nasty indeed.

For now, the expectation is that the match will go ahead. But if conditions worsen, the local Safety Advisory Group will have the final say. That body includes representatives from both clubs, Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council, and safety will be the priority — quite rightly so.

Any decision to call it off would come down to whether the weather makes travel unsafe or the stadium environment too risky for supporters. Road and rail disruption is a major concern, and once fans’ safety becomes doubtful, football takes a back seat.

A packed calendar could complicate things

That’s the other headache here. If the fixture does get shelved, finding a new date will not be straightforward, with the festive period fast approaching and the schedule already crammed to the rafters. Nobody in football ever seems to want to hear that phrase, but fixture congestion is a fact of life.

Storm Austen is already causing chaos elsewhere, with more than 15,000 homes left without power across parts of southern England and Wales, according to the BBC. So the wider picture is far from ideal, and it would be no surprise if other matches were played in pretty grim conditions too.

For now, all eyes are on the weather as much as the football. What should have been a top-class clash between two in-form sides may yet end up being decided by the elements rather than the players.

For more football and betting coverage, visit best betting sites.