Liverpool will host Brentford at Anfield on Sunday evening, with both teams eager to meet their objectives for European qualification.
Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League table, and they will look to secure UEFA Champions League qualification for the upcoming campaign with a victory vs Brentford on Sunday.
On the other hand, Brentford have been quite poor in recent weeks, and they will look to bounce back strongly. The Bees have picked up just one win from their last six Premier League matches. The underwhelming run of results has taken the West London outfit from sixth to ninth in the table, but they still have a chance of securing European football next season.
Keith Andrews’s men will thus be desperate for a victory here. Brentford beat Liverpool earlier in the season, and they will look to complete a league double over the Reds. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
The home team will be without Conor Bradley (knee), Wataru Endo (ankle), Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), and Joe Gomez (muscle) this weekend. Liverpool are likely to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Brentford, with Alisson Becker in goal.
Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk will form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Gravenberch will start alongside Dominik Szoboszlai, aiming to add control and composure to the team. Alexis Mac Allister will look to create opportunities for teammates in the final third.
Finally, Alexander Isak will spearhead the Liverpool attack vs Brentford, with Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah on either side of him. Cody Gakpo will be waiting in the wings if Isak is not fit enough to feature from the get-go
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Salah, Mac Allister, Wirtz; Isak
Brentford
Fabio Carvalho is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, while Antoni Milambo and Rico Henry are also ruled out. Brentford will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Liverpool, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.
Michael Kayode and Keane Lewis-Potter will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Manchester City on the counter. Nathan Collins will start at the heart of the defence alongside Sepp van den Berg.
As for the midfield unit, Jordan Henderson and Yehor Yarmolyuk will look to protect the back four and win the ball back for their side. Mikkel Damsgaard will start as the central attacking midfielder and help create opportunities in the final third.
Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade will feature on the flanks. They will look to open up the opposition defence with their pace, flair, and movement. Finally, Igor Thiago will lead the line for Brentford vs Liverpool this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Yarmolyuk, Henderson; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago
Key Stats
- Liverpool lost 3-2 in the reverse fixture against Brentford, but have never lost consecutive league games against the Bees before. Between 1936 and 1937, Brentford were unbeaten in their first three away league games against Liverpool (W1 D2). Since then, they’ve lost each of their last six trips to Anfield without scoring a single goal.
- Mohamed Salah has scored or assisted in five of his last six appearances vs Brentford in the Premier League.
- Liverpool have not lost their final league game in any of the last ten seasons (W7 D3) since going down 6-1 at Stoke in 2014/15. When finishing a league campaign at home, they are unbeaten in 18 (W15 D3) since a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in 1988/89. On the other hand, Brentford have won their final game in just one of their four previous Premier League campaigns (D1 L2), beating Manchester City 1-0 in 2022/23.
- Liverpool have lost 19 games in all competitions this season; in the club’s entire history, only in 1936/37 (20), 1952/53 (21), 1953/54 (24), and 1992/93 (20) have they ever lost 20+ matches in a single campaign.
- Brentford have won just one of their last nine Premier League games (D6 L2), beating West Ham 3-0 earlier this month.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international will play his final match for Liverpool this weekend, and he is our player to watch out for. He will look to create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well.
Salah has played 441 games for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 257 goals and providing 119 assists, with this potentially his final game for the Reds. He has seven Premier League goals this season, and could be just the second golden boot winner to score 20+ fewer goals than the previous campaign (29 last season), along with Alan Shearer (25 in 1996/97, 2 in 1997/98).
However, the veteran attacker has an excellent record against Brentford in the Premier League. He has scored in five of the last six appearances against them. Salah has been an exceptional performer for Liverpool over the years, and he will look to sign off on a high. Brentford will need to keep him quiet if they want to get a favourable result here.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Brentford
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither team is defensive in their approach, and they will look to outscore each other. There is likely to be plenty of chances on offer.
The two teams will get on the score sheet, but Liverpool will be fully motivated to secure Champions League qualification for the upcoming campaign, and they should be able to grind out a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Arne Slot and his charges.
