Preview: Brentford vs. Liverpool: lineups, team news, and prediction

At the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday at 12.30 p.m., Liverpool takes on Brentford in an attempt to take a five-point lead over the league leaders for the moment.

Last Saturday, the Reds defeated Burnley 3-1 to take back their rightful place atop the table, while the Bees allayed rising concerns about relegation by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0.

MATCH PREVIEW 

With Wolves and Brentford renewing their rivalry for the fourth time in two months, it’s understandable that supporters of the former could become weary of seeing orange shirts after watching their team lose 4-1 at Molineux in December and then suffer a heartbreaking FA Cup extra-time replay loss the previous month.

But in the West Midlands, revenge was the order of the day as Christian Norgaard’s close-range header put the Bees ahead, and Ivan Toney did what he does best at the opposite end of the pitch after Craig Dawson’s equaliser was disallowed for a slight offside.

The talisman Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha’s early injury undoubtedly helped Brentford’s Molineux mission, but Thomas Frank’s team emerged victorious in gameweek 24 and surpassed Crystal Palace to take up 14th place in the standings, which is still a long way from their difficult top half days of the past.

The Bees currently only have a six-point buffer above the drop zone, but they have a game in hand over all but one of the six teams below them. The defensively significant win over Wolves on Saturday came from Brentford, who had not kept a clean sheet in 14 games dating back to October.

The next task is to halt a terrible run of poor performance at the Gtech Community Stadium, where Frank’s team has conceded multiple goals in each of their last four Premier League games. However, in just one of their previous 25 home games in the top level, have the Bees failed to collect a point.

The Bees’ scoreless performance occurred during a 1-0 loss to Arsenal, who somewhat dampened Liverpool’s four-point advantage at the Emirates earlier this month. However, Jurgen Klopp’s team responded to that 3-1 setback as predicted, defeating Burnley in front of a record-breaking Anfield crowd.

In a match marked by aerial prowess, about 60,000 fans took to the stands to watch Diogo Jota and Dara O’Shea cancel each other out with headers in the first half. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez both nodded in during the second half to put Liverpool back on track right away.

After being temporarily dropped to second place due to Manchester City’s victory over Everton in the midday, Klopp’s team is now two points ahead of both Arsenal and the defending champions, even though they have played one more game than Pep Guardiola’s formidable squad.

Therefore, Liverpool’s control over the Premier League remains unattainable at this stage. The Reds have lost 14 of their 18 points this season while travelling, but Klopp’s dynamic forwards have failed to score in hostile territory this season.

The league leaders, Liverpool, easily defeated Brentford 3-0 in their November meeting at Anfield. However, in their six meetings at Gtech Community Stadium, the Bees have taken five points from the Reds, and neither team has defeated the other on the road in the Premier League’s history.

Although Cunha’s major injury naturally took centre stage in the post-match headlines at Molineux, Mathias Jensen of Brentford appeared a touch worn out when he was substituted in the 69th minute, though the midfield player is not thought to have suffered any significant injuries.

The return of Frank Onyeka and Yoane Wissa from the Africa Cup of Nations, where the latter came back to the English city with a runners-up medal after Nigeria lost to Ivory Coast in the final, should also provide a double international boost for the Bees.

Rico Henry (knee), Bryan Mbeumo (ankle), Kevin Schade (groyne), and Aaron Hickey (thigh) are still sidelined, while Josh Dasilva recently suffered a major knee injury during practice that will likely require surgery to repair.

Similar to how Mohamed Salah is back in full training after missing time due to a muscular issue, Liverpool’s attacking lineup may also be bolstered by him this weekend; Klopp will provide the most recent information during his pregame press conference.

Along with Salah, Alisson Becker and Joe Gomez have both bounced back from injuries, Ibrahima Konate has returned from a ban, and Conor Bradley has been observed working out after missing two games due to his father’s passing.

On the defensive end, though, Liverpool’s victory over Burnley was not without incident. Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered another injury to his knee during the match, and it is anticipated that this current issue will prevent him from playing until after the EFL Cup final on February 25.

Joel Matip (knee), Ben Doak (knee), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (hip), and Dominik Szoboszlai (thigh), who is still seriously doubtful for the upcoming trip to Wembley, welcome Alexander-Arnold back into the infirmary.

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Collins, Mee, Pinnock; Roerslev, Janelt, Jensen, Norgaard, Reguilon; Toney, Maupay

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Endo, Mac Allister; Jota, Nunez, Diaz

Prediction: Brentford 1-3 Liverpool
While comeback kings Liverpool have taken a league-high 19 points after falling behind, Brentford (26) is the only Premier League team that has lost more points from winning situations than any other team this season. This suggests one conclusion in the capital even if Frank’s squad can draw first blood.

Although the Reds’ defence has been lacking lately, Klopp’s squad is hoping that a third time around at the Gtech Community Stadium will be successful as the team briefly establishes an insurmountable lead in first position.