Match Preview: Brentford vs. Liverpool – Prediction, H2H Stats, Team news, lineups, Odds

Liverpool meet Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday at 12.30pm with a chance to go five points ahead at the top of the Premier League. The Reds recovered their top spot by beating Burnley 3-1 last weekend, while the Bees relieved relegation worries by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0.

Brentford supporters may be weary of seeing orange clothes after their team lost 4-1 at Molineux in December and an excruciating FA Cup extra-time replay loss last month. Christian Norgaard’s close-range header put the Bees ahead, and after Craig Dawson’s equaliser was disallowed for offside, Ivan Toney did what he does well at the opposite end.

Brentford’s Molineux mission was helped by Matheus Cunha’s early injury, but Thomas Frank’s side won gameweek 24 and rose above Crystal Palace to 14th place in the table, far from their top half-challenging days. The Bees have a six-point lead over the drop zone, but they have a match in hand over all but one of the six teams below them. Saturday’s win over Wolves ended a 14-game streak without a clean sheet, dating back to October.

Next, Frank’s side must halt a string of rearguard play at the Gtech Community Stadium, where they have conceded multiple goals in their past four Premier League games and just one of their last 25 top-flight home games. The Bees’ scoreless display came in a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, who dented Liverpool’s quadruple ambitions at the Emirates earlier this month. Jurgen Klopp’s side responded to that 3-1 setback by defeating Burnley in front of a record-breaking Anfield crowd.

Nearly 60,000 fans saw Diogo Jota and Dara O’Shea cancel each other out with first-half headers, then Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez both headed in during the second half to put Liverpool back on track. Due to Manchester City’s midday victory over Everton, Klopp’s team dropped to second position, although they still lead the defending champions and Arsenal by two points, despite playing a game more.

Thus, Liverpool’s Premier League title remains out of reach, and 14 of their 18 points this season have come on the road, but Klopp’s talented attackers have yet to go blank on enemy territory. Liverpool defeated Brentford 3-0 at Anfield in November, but the Bees have won five of six against the Reds at the Gtech Community Stadium, and neither team has won an away match against the other in the Premier League.

Brentford Premier League form:
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Brentford form (all competitions):
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Liverpool Premier League form:
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Liverpool form (all competitions):
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Team News

Cunha’s catastrophic injury dominated the post-game headlines at Molineux, although Brentford’s Mathias Jensen was hauled out in the 69th minute and is not thought to have suffered any significant injuries. The Bees should also benefit from Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka’s comeback from the Africa Cup of Nations, with the latter returning with a runners-up medal after Nigeria’s defeat to Ivory Coast in the final.

Rico Henry (knee), Bryan Mbeumo (ankle), Kevin Schade (groyne), and Aaron Hickey (thigh) are out, while Josh Dasilva, who injured his knee in training, will miss the season after surgery. Mohamed Salah is back in full training after a muscle injury and might return to Liverpool’s attack this weekend.

Alisson Becker and Joe Gomez are back from sickness, although the former is now having hamstring issues. Ibrahima Konate is back from a suspension, while Conor Bradley has been observed in training after missing two matches due to his father’s death. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold injured his knee again in the victory against Burnley, and the vice-captain is set to miss the EFL Cup final on February 25.

Joel Matip (knee), Ben Doak (knee), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (hip), and Dominik Szoboszlai (thigh) join Alexander-Arnold in the infirmary. Szoboszlai is also a significant concern for Wembley.

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Collins, Mee, Pinnock; Roerslev, Janelt, Jensen, Norgaard, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Endo, Mac Allister; Jota, Nunez, Diaz

Brentford vs Liverpool Odds