BRENTFORD VS. LIVERPOOL
| Saturday, October 17th |
Premier League | Gtech Stadium
3PM BST/10AM EST
Injured pair Kevin Schade and Jannik Schuster have been training on grass this week and both will face a late fitness test to determine their availability to face the Reds. Meanwhile, ex-Liverpool player Sepp van den Berg, who has recently been sidelined with a groin injury, was on the bench last weekend and could make his return against his former club.
As for other injuries, Mikkel Damsgaard and Nathan Collins are unlikely
to feature though also inch closer to a return, though Brentford boss Keith Andrews was elusive in his press conference and provided no clear confirmation of fitness for any players nearing return. Kaye Furo and Josh Desilva definitely remain out, however.
Last year Brentford won this fixture, and Liverpool will need to be alert to danger to stop this from happening again. Brentford are unbeaten this season, winning four and drawing two, and their unbeaten run of eight matches stretching back to last season is the longest such run.
They’re a group that are effective at disrupting opposition build-up, with Vitaly Janelt key in the midfield — should he be called upon. Trey Nyoni’s passing could be key here. The Bees are also hard to nullify, having nine different goalscorers thus far this season. Having just faced Erling Haaland, we know that having a known threat doesn’t necessarily make things easier, but the pure variety in Brentford’s attack means that complacency will be punished.
Brentford have had an effective defensive approach thus far, and that sort of approach was a frustration for the Reds early on this season. Liverpool’s showing at LASK was one with creativity and intent against a side seemingly unprepared for the onslaught; in contrast, the team the Reds will meet at the Gtech will likely remind us all why the Premier League is so challenging.
Brentford’s extremely low shot conversion rate this season — of their average of 14.5 shots conceded per match, less than 7% have been scored — is the headline. The Bees want to limit their opponents to shots from distance (keep refreshing the Dominik Szoboszlai fitness updates friends), and will make it difficult to create in the final third. What Liverpool were really good at against LASK was this constant creativity in dangerous areas. Can they reprise the role against more challenging opponents?
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Barcola; Koumas
Echoing Andrews, Andoni Iraola, too, refused to fully confirm fitness availability for Liverpool’s most recently sidelined first team players. Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak and Dominik Szoboszlai could feature on Saturday, but uncertainty reigns. Ryan Gravenberch is unavailabe for this one due to suspension, as POGMOL apologies continue to have no real impact.
We can expect the defense to return to it’s non-rotated state, with Ronald Araujo sliding back over to fullback, Jérémy Jacquet going again, and Virgil Van Dijk and Miloš Kerkez returning to the starting line-up — though it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Kostas Tsimikas could start again after captaining Liverpool midweek. Van Dijk will be captaining Liverpool for his 200th time (150th in the Premier League), and occasion which should be marked in the match program at the very least.
In midfield we can expect to see Alexis Mac Allister starting alongside Dominik Szoboszlai if the Hungarian is fit enough, but should he not be Iraola can call on the level head of Trey Nyoni. Though fitness tests will also determine the personnel up front, Iraola might find it challenging to explain to an attack that scored six goals on Wednesday why any changes are to be made.
Speaking of six goals, it’s worth noting that this fixture generally sees a lot of goals: twenty-two goals in the last five meetings alone, which is 4.4 goals per game. Though more goals would be nice, the Reds will likely be even more interested in trying for a clean sheet, which would be the third away clean sheet in a row in the league.
Brentford will want to make this one difficult for Liverpool, and will be comfortable ceding possession to avoid being caught out. The warning match for Iraola’s side is Brentford’s recent 3-0 win at home against Chelsea: the Bees had just 40% possession but generated 2.65 xG to Chelsea’s 0.83. This is what the Reds need to avoid.
The Managers Have Their Say
Andoni Iraola: “[Brentford] have good players. They are well-coached. They have a clear idea that has been consistent for a number of seasons now. They are a squad that understands what they are trying to do. They are also good on the ball, physical and honest.”
Keith Andrews: “It’s not in an overconfident way saying we should be able to play Liverpool with a belief we will win the game. We’ll have to do a lot of things really well and stop them playing but we’ve shown we can compete against the best teams in the country”
The Officials
Referee: John Brooks Assistants: Neil Davies, Akil Howson Fourth Official: Anthony Backhouse VAR: Darren England Assistant VAR: Gary Beswick
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