Liverpool take on Brentford in the Premier League at the weekend and they will look to continue their title charge with the win away from home.
Liverpool managed to bounce back from the defeat against Arsenal with an impressive performance against Burnley. They will look to put together a winning run and extend their lead at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Brentford are 14th in the league table and they have lost four of their last six league matches. Although they are coming into this game on the back of a win over Wolves, they will have to be at their best in order to get something out of this contest.
Liverpool are unbeaten in four of the last five meetings against Brentford and it remains to be seen whether they can extend their fine run of form against the Bees.
Team news and tactics
Brentford
The home team will be without the services of Rico Henry, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey, Kevin Schade and Josh Dasilva because of injuries.
Thomas Frank is likely to line up his side in a 3-5-2 formation with Mark Flekken in goal. In the back three, Nathan Collins will start alongside Ethan Pinnock and Ben Mee.
Mads Roerslev and Sergio Reguilon will be deployed as the wingbacks and they will look to help out in the attack and protect the central defence.
In the middle of the park, Mathias Jensen will start alongside Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt. The three players will look to keep things compact in the middle of the park and provide defensive cover to the side.
Ivan Toney will lead the line for Brentford here with Neal Maupay alongside him.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Flekken; Collins, Pinnock, Mee; Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay
Liverpool
The Reds have a number of injury problems heading into this contest.
Joel Matip has already been ruled out for the season. Stefan Bajcetic remains a long term absentee. Kostas Tsimikas and Dominik Szoboszlai are still recovering from their respective injury problems.
Thiago Alcantara picked up an injury against Arsenal and he is unlikely to play a game this season. Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss out for a few weeks as well.
Liverpool are likely to shape up in their usual 4-3-3 formation with Alisson Becker in goal.
Connor Bradley is set to return after his compassionate leave and he will start as the right back here. Andrew Robertson will start as the left back and the two players will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
Ibrahima Konate will start in central defence alongside Virgil van Dijk.
In the midfield, Wataru Endo will start as the defensive midfielder and he will look to protect the central defence and break up opposition attacks. Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones will add creativity and control to the side alongside him.
Darwin Nunez will lead the line for Liverpool here with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz on either side of him. Mohamed Salah is likely to be a part of the travelling squad but he might not be handed a start straight away.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Endo, Jones; Jota, Nunez, Diaz
Key Stats
- Liverpool are undefeated in 33 of their last 35 matches (Premier League).
- Liverpool have scored at least 2 goals in 5 of their last 6 matches (Premier League).
- Liverpool are undefeated in 4 of their last 5 matches against Brentford.
- Brentford have lost 4 of their last 6 Premier League matches.
- Brentford have conceded 12 goals in their last 6 outings across all competitions.
Key Player
Ivan Toney
The 27-year-old has hit the ground running upon his return from suspension. Toney has been in impressive form scoring three goals in four Premier League appearances this season.
Brentford will need him to step up and deliver if they want to grind out all three points here. His performances in three of the four matches he has played in the Premier League this season have been outstanding and he could cause all sorts of problems for Liverpool with his link up play, movement and finishing ability.
Prediction
Brentford 1-2 Liverpool
Both teams will be looking for a win here and this is likely to be a close contest. Liverpool are missing a number of key players through injury and they might not be at their best here. Brentford have had their fair share of injury problems as well.
The home team will look to put in a strong performance here but Liverpool have the strength in depth to emerge victorious eventually. Brentford’s defensive problems could be their undoing here. A narrow win for the away side is on the cards.
