Brentford v Liverpool predictions: Reds may be able to grind out a victory

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Brentford v Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League, 5.30pm, Saturday

Best bet

Liverpool & under 3.5 goals
1pt 5-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

Team news

Brentford
Shanden Baptiste is suspended. Mads Sorensen and Josh DaSilva are long-term absentees.

Liverpool
Midfielders Harvey Elliott, Naby Keita and Thiago are all out. Roberto Firmino is a doubt but Trent Alexander-Arnold has recovered from illness.

Match preview

Trips to the Etihad, Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford may well determine whether Liverpool are on the right road to a Premier League challenge but there's a bus stop in Hounslow to be negotiated first – and that might not be a formality.

Brentford away is a fixture that may have been lazily dismissed as a certain three-pointer back when Reds fans first clocked the 2021-22 schedule, but it looks potentially more challenging now.

Granted, it's early days but Thomas Frank's men are acquitting themselves well in the Promised Land and Jurgen Klopp is acutely aware his team are going to face a genuine test from a decent team by the side of the A4.

Liverpool should still have enough to eventually wear their hosts down but at odds of 1-2 you'd be expecting it to be a cakewalk, and that may not be the case.

The Bees have demonstrated enough discipline to suggest they can keep this competitive – they are conceding just over ten shots per game, which is the third lowest total in the top division – so if Liverpool win it might not necessarily be in a high scorer.

Take the 5-4 they do so in a game featuring no more than three goals.

Liverpool's four wins in the league this season have been by either 2-0 or 3-0 scorelines and they've definitely been improving week on week.

They were fine at Norwich, found Burnley more of a struggle than they should have, and were second best to Chelsea while the Londoners had 11 men in a game which finished 1-1. Since then they have walloped both Leeds and Crystal Palace.

So what we know is that Liverpool are at their bullying best against mid to lower-ranked sides, and that four-goal Mo Salah and three-goal Sadio Mane are as lively as they have ever been.

The Reds will look to ping the ball to them quickly and rely on their attacking full-backs, pretty much bypassing a midfield which isn't creative anyway. It's the Liverpool gameplan and it doesn't ever really change.

What punters will probably be mulling over is how to regard Brentford. Are they a mid to lower-ranked side or are they actually better than that? Are they capable of giving Liverpool a game?

They've looked solid enough and are actually getting more solid. The Bees allowed 22 shots in their season-opener, that fabulous 2-0 win over Arsenal.

Since then, however, they have given up just 29 shots on their goal in four matches, four games which have produced draws at Palace and Aston Villa, a luckless home loss to Brighton and a well-deserved 2-0 win at Wolves last week.

Make no mistake, with the dogged Vitaly Janelt and Christian Norgaard protecting a back three which could easily resemble a back six or seven if required, they will be compact.

But they can also unleash the magnificent Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo if required, boast pace out wide, and don't seem to play with any fear. This could be fascinating – and not quite as clear-cut as the odds might suggest.

Key stat

Brentford and Liverpool are conceding 10.2 shots per game – only Wolves and Manchester City are giving up lower numbers.

Inside info

Brentford

Penalty taker Ivan Toney
Free-kick wizard Bryan Mbeumo
Set-piece aerial threat Ivan Toney
Card magnet Christian Norgaard

Liverpool

Penalty taker Mo Salah
Free-kick wizardTrent Alexander-Arnold
Set-piece aerial threatVirgil van Dijk
Card magnetFabinho

Not got a bet365 account? Sign up today and get up to £100 in bet credits

Up to £100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport