Liverpool will travel to the Gtech Community Stadium to face Thomas Frank’s Brentford and the Reds will hope to pick up their first Premier League win in 2025.
Arne Slot’s men could only manage a 1-1 draw with fellow title rivals Nottingham Forest at City Ground on Tuesday evening. Their lead at the top of the table has now been cut down by Arsenal thanks to their North London derby success on Wednesday. Nonetheless, the Reds hold a solid four-point lead with a game in hand.
Having dropped points in back-to-back league games against Manchester United and Forest, the Merseysiders will be desperate to return to winning ways when they face Brentford, who came from 2-0 down to draw against Manchester City in midweek.
Liverpool Team News
Darwin Nunez is back for Liverpool after serving a one-game suspension against Forest. This means the Reds’ only injury absentee should be Joe Gomez, who has been sidelined for a few weeks after sustaining a hamstring issue in late December. Arne Slot revealed in his press conference that Diogo Jota is a doubt. Considering his injury record, it’s unlikely he will be risked if he isn’t fully fit.
Predicted Liverpool lineup vs Brentford (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker failed to keep a clean sheet on the road at Forest after Chris Wood found the back of the net in the game’s early stages. The Brazilian wasn’t at fault and had a pretty quiet evening apart from that. He is expected to retain his place in the Liverpool lineup.
Defence
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are expected to line up at the heart of Liverpool’s defence, and the duo have to be at their best to keep Brentford duo Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo at bay. The defence was out of shape for Nottingham Forest’s opener and Konate will have to put in a better performance as he has looked rusty after returning from his injury a couple of weeks ago.
Trent Alexander-Arnold should retain his spot at right-back, but Kostas Tsimikas may come in for Andy Robertson at left-back after his impactful appearance off the bench at City Ground.
Midfield
Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister have forged a formidable pair in the middle of the park, and there is no looking past them here. They will try to get a hold of the game as early as possible and dominate the proceedings.
11.6 seconds ⏱️⚡️
Lucho rounded off a rapid counter last time out against Brentford 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/eQBQs8vWzE
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 17, 2025
Dominik Szoboszlai put in a great shift against Forest having recently returned from illness, so Slot may decide to use him from the bench on Saturday. This should open the door for Curtis Jones to return to the Liverpool lineup. Harvey Elliot will again have to settle for a role on the bench.
Attack
Diogo Jota was in line for a promotion from the bench after scoring Liverpool’s equaliser against Forest just seconds following his entry in the second half. However, Jota is a doubt which means Nunez might lead the Reds’ attack, with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah on either side of him trying to breach the Brentford defence.
Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa are fantastic attacking options to bring from the bench.
