Match Preview: Liverpool Face Tricky Brentford Test as Premier League Title Race Heats Up | OneFootball

Brentford v Liverpool – The Premier League Preview

Date – 18th January 2025

Venue – Gtech Community Stadium

Kick-off – 15.00

After a disappointing attempt to overcome Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening, the relentless nature of the Premier League presents Liverpool, the current league leaders, with another challenging away match this Saturday afternoon. They will be facing Brentford, a solid home side that has consistently overachieved since their promotion to the English top tier. Manager Thomas Frank has done an exceptional job in the capital and will be keen to overcome his opposite number. Arne Slot will be eager to secure his next win with Liverpool as this upcoming match in West London could become one of their biggest challenges of the season.

Brentford Team News

Brentford manager Thomas Frank will be without several key players: Joshua Dasilva, Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer, Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago Nascimento Rodrigues, Gustavo Nunes Fernandes Gomes, and Ryan Trevitt.

In terms of recent form, Brentford managed a superb comeback, securing a 2-2 draw at home against Manchester City following a 5-0 victory away at Southampton and a 3-1 loss at home to Arsenal. In the FA Cup fourth round, they lost 1-0 at home to Plymouth, who will face Liverpool next. After 21 matches in the top tier, the 2021 Championship playoff winners have accumulated 28 points, reflecting another solid season.

The predicted lineup for Brentford, using a 4-3-3 formation, is as follows:

Mark Flekken, Mads Roerslev, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg, Keane Lewis-Potter, Mathias Jensen, Vitaly Janelt, Christian Nørgaard, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Mikkel Damsgaard

Photo: IMAGO

Liverpool Team News

Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, but Darwin Núñez will return after serving a one-game suspension. Diogo Jota is also a doubt for the game, after picking up a ‘niggle’ in the draw at Nottingham Forest.

In their most recent match, Liverpool secured a 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest, following a 4-0 victory against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round. They also recorded a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Anfield before suffering a 1-0 loss to Tottenham in the EFL Cup semifinal first leg. With 20 matches played, Liverpool currently tops the Premier League standings with an impressive 47 points.

Here is the expected lineup that Arne Slot will field for this away match against Brentford.

Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk (c), Kostas Tsimikas, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz

How Will This Contest Play Out?

Liverpool is expected to perform better in the first half, as they have shown significant success in the second half of matches. Diogo Jota is likely to be the key goal threat for Liverpool in this game, as his predatory instincts will be critical against a team that is comfortable on their home soil. Meanwhile, Mikkel Damsgaard and Bryan Mbeumo will pose a significant threat to the visitors, as their wide attacking play creates continuous opportunities from the flanks.

Player to Watch: Diogo Jota

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction:

Brentford 1 – 2 Liverpool