Preview: Liverpool vs Brentford – stats, team news, line-ups | OneFootball

Liverpool welcome Brentford to Anfield on Sunday, knowing they will be guaranteed a top-five finish and a Champions League spot if they avoid defeat.

Brentford are ninth in the table, level on points with Chelsea and one behind Brighton & Hove Albion.

Even if they manage to come away from Anfield with a win, the Bees will need results elsewhere to go their way if they’re to snatch a European slot on the final day.

A defeat may not be enough to knock Liverpool out of the top five. Bournemouth will need to win by a seven-goal margin at Nottingham Forest for that to happen.

Match preview

Expectations were high at the start of the season, especially after Liverpool splashed over £400 million on recruitment. But the campaign hasn’t panned out the way they expected.

Results have failed to match the excitement, and another defeat against Brentford would mean the Reds have lost three of their last four games and gone four consecutive matches without a win.

Their defensive woes were laid bare in the recent 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa earlier this month.

The Reds have now gone five games without keeping a clean sheet and have conceded eight goals in their last three league matches.

Their form at Anfield has been slightly better, going unbeaten in their last five home games, but they’ve hardly been consistent (W3, D2).

While they’ll be keen to stretch that run this weekend, Liverpool will also be determined to avenge their previous 3-2 defeat to Brentford earlier this season.

Sunday’s match also carries major weight for Brentford as their hopes of European football remain finely balanced.

They are level on points with Chelsea in the eighth-placed Europa Conference League position. Only two points separate them from Brighton in seventh, which would secure a Europa League spot.

With so many outcomes still possible on the final day, the picture could change quickly depending on results elsewhere. However, Brentford may feel they have missed opportunities in recent weeks.

Even though they have lost just twice in their last ten Premier League matches, they’ve managed just two wins in that run (D6), which has slowed their momentum.

The gap in goal difference could also be decisive if they fail to match Chelsea’s goal tally, but they’ll need to take care of business on their end to improve their chances.

However, Brentford’s away record does not inspire confidence that they can get the job done. They are winless in their last four away games and have failed to score in three of their previous four on the road.

Team news

A couple of Liverpool players will say ‘goodbye’ at Anfield on Sunday ahead of their summer departure from the club.

Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah are in that category, although the latter may not feature after another social media outburst.

Alisson and Alexander Isak are touch-and-go to face Brentford, but the Reds will be without Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Wataru Endo and Giovanni Leoni.

Brentford are expected to name a strong starting XI, with only Rico Henry, Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo ruled out due to injuries.

Liverpool potential starting line-up:

(4-2-3-1): Alisson; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahim Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Rio Ngumoha; Cody Gakpo.

Brentford potential starting line-up: