Brentford will host Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, with both teams looking to get back to winning ways.
Brentford have picked up just one win from the last six Premier League matches, and they are coming into this game vs Liverpool on the back of an impressive draw against Manchester City. The Bees will certainly fancy their chances against Liverpool amid their recent inconsistencies, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out all three points.
Liverpool have not been at their best in recent weeks, and they have dropped points against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in their last two Premier League matches. The Reds were recently beaten by Tottenham in the EFL Cup as well.
The away side have shown vulnerability in recent weeks, and it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back strongly. Liverpool are at the top of the league table, but Arsenal are breathing down their necks, and they cannot afford to slip up anymore. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
Brentford will be without Joshua Dasilva due to a knee injury, Gustavo Nunes due to a back injury, Rico Henry due to a knee injury, Aaron Hickey due to a thigh injury, Igor Thiago with a knee injury, Ethan Pinnock with a thigh injury, and Kristoffer Ajer because of an ankle injury.
The Bees will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal. Mads Roerslev and Keane Lewis-Potter will start as the full-backs here. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Liverpool on the break. Nathan Collins will start alongside Ben Mee at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Vitaly Janelt will start alongside Christian Norgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard in the middle of the park. Janelt and Norgaard will keep things compact defensively and Damsgaard will add creativity to the side. Kevin Schade will lead the line for Brentford vs Liverpool, with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Mee, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Schade, Wissa
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez due to a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota is a doubt for the weekend.
The Reds are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Ibrahima Konate will pair up with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will add defensive cover and control to the side from the deep. Dominik Szoboszlai will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will add creativity and goals from the wide areas, with Darwin Nunez leading the line for Liverpool vs Brentford at the Gtech Communit Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez
Key Stats
- Liverpool are undefeated in their last 16 matches in the Premier League.
- Liverpool have won their last four matches vs Brentford in all competitions.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Brentford have picked up just one win from the last six league matches.
- Liverpool have conceded at least once in three of their last four matches.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international has been outstanding for Liverpool this season, and he is our key player to watch out for. Liverpool have struggled in the final third when he has failed to deliver, and the Reds will hope that he can continue his impressive run of form.
Salah will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself. Liverpool will need him to step up and perform if they want to grind out all three points. Brentford showed vs Manchester City that they are capable of grinding a good result against top teams, and Liverpool need their best players firing on all cylinders here.
Prediction
Brentford 1-1 Liverpool
Liverpool have not been at their best in recent weeks, and Brentford will be reasonably confident heading into this game. This is likely to have to be a close contest. Both teams will be desperate for all three points. Brentford have not picked up as many wins as they would have liked in recent weeks, and they will feel that this is an opportunity for them to grind out a morale-boosting result.
On the other hand, Liverpool will look to get their season back on track. It will be difficult to separate the two teams here, and they could cancel each other out. A draw seems like the most probable result. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw for Saturday’s game at the Gtech Community Stadium.
