Liverpool take on Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon

Liverpool shouldn't give up hope of winning the Premier League this season according to former Reds forward Djibril Cisse, who sees the weekend's visit of Brighton as a clash of potential title rivals.

The Reds have won their last three matches in all competitions, with Champions League wins over LASK and Villarreal sandwiching last Saturday's hard fought 2-1 success at Brentford.

That win lifted Liverpool to fifth in the Premier League, but on Sunday they will welcome a third-place Brighton side who have won their last six matches in all competitions and scored a staggering 23 goals in their seven league games thus far.

Cisse sees Brighton as potentially 'doing a Leicester' and putting up a title challenge similar to the successful one the Foxes made in 2016, but he has high hopes for his former club too.

Make sure you never miss the latest Liverpool FC news and opinion by making Liverpool Echo one of your Google preferred sources.

"Can Liverpool win a trophy this season? Yes, we have something to play for this year," Cisse told Mr Gamble.

"Defensively, we’ve strengthened. Up front, Alexander Isak is coming back to his best, and Hugo Ekitike will be back soon too. I think this year we have a real chance to win the Premier League title, alongside Arsenal and Manchester City, without forgetting the other teams. There’s a real opportunity this year.

"I’ll admit I hope Liverpool manage to get past all of that, beat all those teams and win the title. But Brighton are a good side who have started the season very, very well, and they won’t give up their place easily. That’s the beauty of the Premier League. Anyone can do it.

"Think of Leicester City. Nobody would have bet a penny on them. I don’t think many people expected Brighton to be this high either. It’s a very prestigious, very competitive league, and anyone can beat anyone.

"If Brighton beat Liverpool, are they title contenders? Mathematically, with the points they have, the confidence they’re building and above all how well they play, yes, they would become serious title contenders."

If the Reds are to have a successful season then Cisse feels Florian Wirtz will be central to it, with the German having scored his first goal of the campaign in the win over Villarreal after mounting criticism of his performances.

"Should Liverpool move on from Florian Wirtz? Every coach and every club has its own way of doing things," said Cisse.

"Maybe the coach still hopes to see the best possible Wirtz, still wants to work with him and help him improve so the team can benefit from his talent. That’s more a question for the coach.

"Either way, he remains a fantastic player. If he gets back to his best, he’s a player you have to keep in your squad because he’s magnificent."