Darwin Nunez will replace Cody Gakpo in the Liverpool starting lineup against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
Liverpool will be disappointed with their performances in recent weeks, and Arne Slot will demand a strong reaction from his players. In their last two games, they were held to a draw against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. With Arsenal closing in, the league leaders cannot afford to keep dropping points.
The game against Brentford on Saturday will be a tough outing for them. Liverpool need to raise their performance levels to grind out all three points. Brentford managed to hold Manchester City to a draw earlier this week, and they have the quality to cause all sorts of problems for Liverpool as well.
Meanwhile, the away side will be without the services of Joe Gomez and Diogo Jota this weekend. Gomez has been sidelined for a while with a high injury, and Jota seems to have picked up a niggle after scoring an important equaliser against Nottingham Forest in the last game. Slot provided an update on Jota during his pre-match press conference.
The Liverpool manager said, “There is no doubt about the fact Jota is an important player for us, but he wasn’t on the training ground yesterday so that means we have to see today where he is. So, it is not sure he will be available for tomorrow. We have to wait and see today.”
“He felt a little bit when he came in [at the City Ground], a little niggle during the half-hour he came in. He could finish the game, but afterwards he complained a bit about it and that’s why he didn’t train yesterday. We have to wait and see if he is available today and then, of course, tomorrow.”
Liverpool will shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation against Brentford, with Alisson Becker in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside club captain Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will add creativity and control to the side from the midfield. Dominik Szoboszlai will add drive and creativity to the side from the attacking midfield role. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will start in the wide areas, and they will add goals, pace, and flair to the attack. Darwin Nunez is likely to lead the line for Liverpool here in the absence of Jota.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez
