Brentford vs Liverpool: Why Reds reunion with Alexander Isak should guarantee goals | OneFootball

After riding their luck to bank the full 15 points from their opening five Premier League matches, Liverpool have found that fortune goes both ways.

Following last-gasp defeats to Crystal Palace and Chelsea, the defending champions suffered a third straight league loss via a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of great rivals Manchester United last Sunday.

Liverpool struck the woodwork three times in that match and easily won the xG count, but it was United who had the calmer heads when it counted.

The noise around Liverpool and Arne Slot was quietened in midweek as they overcame the loss of the opening goal to hammer Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Champions League.

The Reds will hope they can take that confidence booster to the Gtech on Saturday evening.

Brentford moved nearer the safety of mid-table on Monday night with a dominant 2-0 win over a woeful West Ham.

The Bees had 22 shots to just seven from the Hammers, and 10 points from the opening eight matches is a decent return for new boss Keith Andrews following the exit of Thomas Frank.

Brentford have also been good at home, winning two and drawing one of their four matches so far.

Those wins came against Manchester United (3-1) and Aston Villa (1-0), while they held Chelsea 2-2. The only defeat was a narrow 1-0 loss to Manchester City.

In other words, they’ve been extremely competitive against the bigger sides.

How to watch Brentford v Liverpool

Brentford vs Liverpool kicks off at 20:00 BST on Saturday, October 25 at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The game will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting from 7pm.

TalkSPORT will provide full match commentary.

Brentford team news

It will be a reunion for three of Brentford’s first-teamers, with goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, defender Sepp van den Berg, and midfielder Jordan Henderson all coming up against their former Liverpool teammates.

Andrews will likely keep the same XI that were so impressive against West Ham, so Michael Kayode and Kristoffer Ajer will again look to bomb forward from full-back.

Aaron Hickey is a doubt to even make the bench, while Igor Thiago, the joint-third highest scorer in the Premier League this season with five goals, will again spearhead the attack.

Brentford expected line-up

(4-2-3-1) Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Ajer; Yarmolyuk, Henderson; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Liverpool team news

Out-of-sorts Mo Salah was left out of Liverpool’s starting XI in Frankfurt, but the likelihood of ‘Salah sidelined again’ headlines has been reduced by an injury to record signing Alexander Isak.

The Swede was withdrawn at half-time in Germany with a groin issue, so Slot may be cautious and leave the striker out completely or start him on the bench.

But Jeremie Frimpong definitely won’t play a part after his night against Frankfurt was ended by a hamstring injury, which will sideline the Dutchman for a few weeks.

Goalkeeper Alisson remains unfit to start, so Giorgi Mamardashvili deputises between the sticks.

Liverpool expected line-up

(4-3-3) Mamardashvili; Bradley, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Salah, Ekitike, Salah

Brentford vs Liverpool stats

– Having lost just one of their first three Premier League meetings with Liverpool (W1 D1), Brentford have now lost each of their last five against the Reds.

– Liverpool have lost each of their last four Premier League away games against London sides; they last lost five consecutive league visits to the capital between March and November 1970.

– Brentford have won two of their last three Premier League matches, more than in their previous seven combined (W1 D2 L4). The Bees are looking for consecutive wins for the first time since April/May last season under Thomas Frank.

– Liverpool have lost five of their last eight away games in the Premier League (W3), as many as their previous 43 beforehand (W23 D15).

– Liverpool have lost their last three Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 39 (W27 D9). They last lost four in a row in February 2021, while they last had a 4+ game losing streak within their first nine games of a league season in 1993-94.

– Liverpool have lost each of their last three Premier League games thanks to goals scored in the final 10 minutes of games, and having equalised in each match.

– Alexander Isak has scored in all four of his appearances against Brentford. No player has a better 100% scoring rate against an opponent in the competition.

Brentford vs Liverpool predictions

Are Liverpool back on track? It remains to be seen, given that they won’t find Brentford as easy to play through or as accommodating as Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Bees deserve respect and Brentford Double chance – you collect for a Brentford win or a Draw – at a shade of odds-against appeals

Perhaps the safest bet here is both teams to score, given that it’s landed in seven of Liverpool’s last eight games this season.

Coming at it from a Brentford angle, BTTS has rewarded backers in three of their last four home games in all competitions.

As for a goalscorer punt, Cody Gakpo has netted in each of Liverpool’s last three games and could easily have had a hat-trick against Manchester United, so he appeals at just under 2/1 to net anytime.