Preview: Brentford vs. Liverpool

Today at 11:30 AM

Can the Reds regain the control that seems to be slipping in recent weeks?

BRENTFORD VS. LIVERPOOL

| Saturday, January 18th |
Premier League | Brentford Community Stadium (GTech)
3PM GMT/10AM EST

Brentford come into this match with a hefty injury list, lacking six players who would have liked to make an impact. Rico Henry has come through his first match back in fit, however, which will be pleasing news for the side.

The Bees come into this one off the back of a hard-fought home draw against the mixed bag that is Manchester City, scoring twice in the last 10 minutes (and stoppage time) to salvage a point against the holders. They've generally done well recently, though did manage to go out of the FA Cup to Plymouth Argyle in what might be the only real "magic of the cup" upset we got.

Despite that disappointment, Thomas Frank's side will feel alright with their efforts this season. They went out of the EFL Cup at the quarter-final stage against Newcastle, and come into this match on 28 points sat 11th on the table.

In their last five league matches they've suffered two losses (Arsenal on New Years' Day and high-flying Forest at home before Christmas), took two draws (the aforementioned effort against Manchester City and a goalless outing at home against Brighton), and managed just one win (a strong 5-0 against Southampton).

Though their form has been middling this season, they've done well at home, accruing just five points away from Gtech Community Stadium this season.

They will hope to give Liverpool a game, and have the ability to hurt the Reds should things go their way, thought it's notable that Liverpool have scored in 100% of their league games against Brentford (17 total goals). Though Brentford do better at home, they have not yet kept a home clean sheet — and they're the only side to have failed to do so this season.

Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Díaz

Diogo Jota would probably have started for Liverpool, but has frustratingly picked up a reportedly minor injury. To be clear, Jota is listed as a doubt, and it could be possible that this is a careful approach, but nonetheless he's likely to miss this one.

Otherwise Liverpool's fitness is the same, leaving the manager with a decision on Andy Robertson versus Kostas Tsimikas and Dominik Szoboszlai versus Curtis Jones (with the caveat that Harvey Elliott will be looking for more meaningful minutes).

The Reds have the best away form in the Premier League, though the quirks of the schedule mean they have faced weaker teams away and tougher teams at home at the recent halfway point. Liverpool remain league leaders despite Arsenal's win, but have dropped four points in their last seven league games, a leakiness they'll hope to rectify on Saturday. Liverpool have also started conceding much more often of late, shipping 12 in the last seven (compared to a total of eight in the first 13 league matches of the season).

Slot's men will hope to regain confidence — at least for fans, as it seems unlikely that the players themselves will have wavered.

What the Managers Had to Say

Arne Slot: "This season, maybe more than every other season, shows the strength of every single team that's in the league. Even yesterday evening, I think it was quite a surprise to see Southampton going toe to toe with [Manchester] United. So, it shows you that in the second half of the season that it's even harder to win your games than in the first half of the season, because teams are longer together, managers are working longer with the team, you've played already once against each other so maybe there's a different game plan, some teams bring players in to strengthen the squad and teams are fighting for getting into Europe, winning the league, trying to stay in the league.

So, [the] second half of the season is always even more difficult than the first half of the season. Brentford is an example of a team that was already really strong in the first half of the season, especially at home, but it maybe had something to do with the fixture list as well because they had a lot of difficult away games. But they are a very good team for a few years now and they showed that in this first half of the season and especially [on] Tuesday evening again against City.

Thomas Frank: We have been in the whole week, no days off. The whole group were in on Wednesday to recover; on Thursday it was a light session with some tactical bits, preparing for Liverpool. Friday will be light as well, with the squad hopefully feeling fresh and ready to go for Saturday."

The Officials

Referee: Andy Madley Assistants: Nick Hopton, Craig Taylor Fourth official: Farai Hallam VAR: Paul Tierney Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan

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