Brentford v Liverpool – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Brentford host Liverpool in the English Premier League in Saturday’s early kickoff. The Bees have won two of their last four matches after a poor streak. The Reds have lost just two of their last 35 league matches and beat Brentford 3-0 in November.

Brentford Form

Brentford had a run of five successive league losses before exiting the FA Cup after losing 3-2 at Wolves in a replay. They looked to be heading for a relegation battle before a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest ended their winless run.

Although they lost 3-2 at Tottenham (having led 1-0) after that, their performance was strong. A 3-1 home loss to Man City came next. Last weekend, they picked up a huge three points by winning 2-0 at Wolves. They only had 29% possession but put up 1.94 Expected Goals and created five ‘big chances.

Brentford Team News

Wingbacks Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey are out injured so Sergio Reguilon will deputise in the left wingback role. Up front, Bryan Mbuemo is out with a long-term injury and Kevin Schade is out.

Yoane Wissa should be back after AFCON duty as Congo DR played their last match a week ago. Frank Onyeka and Saman Ghoddos also return from international duty. Josh Dasilva is ruled out in midfield.

Brentford Motivation

The Bees will play very pragmatically and defend in a tight 5-4-1 shape.

A draw here would be a good result, but they will initially try to nick a win. Expect them to focus on counters and set plays to hurt Liverpool.

Liverpool Form

The Reds have lost just two of 24 matches in the league this season with an 11-match unbeaten run before that. They have netted 55 goals in league matches this season. After a sublime 4-2 home win over Newcastle (7.11 xG produced), they won 2-0 at Arsenal in the FA Cup. A 3-2 aggregate win over Fulham saw them reach the Carabao Cup final.

After a 4-0 win at Bournemouth, they thrashed Norwich City 5-2. A 4-1 humbling with 28 shots attempted vs Chelsea put them in top form before playing Arsenal. They made mistakes and lost 3-1 at the Gunners but bounced back to beat Burnley 3-1 last weekend.

Liverpool Team News

Ibrahima Konate returns from suspensions and Alisson is set to be available in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold is ruled out and Conor Bradley is a slight doubt due to a family bereavement. Joe Gomez may need to cover at right back.

Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara are unavailable. Dominik Szoboszlai will also play no part in midfield. Mo Salah is nearing a return but won’t feature for more than a few minutes at best.

Liverpool Motivation

Nothing less than a win will do for Liverpool considering how Arsenal and Man City are playing.

The Cup final next weekend won’t be too big of a distraction. The Reds may look to get in front and then protect that lead instead of trying to drive home the advantage.

Key Stats

Brentford have lost 8 of their last 11 matches

Brentford have seen Over 2.5 goals in 5 of their last 6 EPL matches

Liverpool have scored at least 2 goals in 5 of their last 6 EPL matches

Liverpool have lost just 2 of their last 35 league matches.

Verdict

It’s hard to see past a Liverpool win based on the form of the two sides. Brentford may keep it tight initially and may the Reds win the game in the second half.

Best Bet: Liverpool win at 1.60
Alternate Bet: Liverpool win and Over 2.5 goals at 2.10
Goalscorer Tip: Darwin Nunez to score anytime at 2.25

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis