Preview: Liverpool vs. Brentford: starting lineups, TV, kickoff time, referee, and video assistant
Liverpool is under pressure to produce this Sunday as they host Brentford at Anfield in the Premier League. This comes after two disastrous outings in a row.
After a terrible performance against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, Luis Diaz’s heartfelt stoppage-time equaliser was the one bright spot in a forgettable Reds weekend.
Thursday night’s Europa League matchup against Toulouse would have given Jurgen Klopp hope, but instead he had the complete opposite response.
Liverpool lost badly to Ligue 1 in France, falling short 3-2 despite some late VAR drama. The Reds were mainly outplayed and outfought by the opposition.
Thomas Frank’s highly-performing Brentford team will be visiting Merseyside on Sunday, marking the last game before the November international break, and Liverpool needs to get back on track.
The Bees have triumphed in three straight games, but Liverpool will want to halt that streak.
This is your guide to Liverpool vs. Brentford for the match this coming Saturday.
DATE, STADIUM, REFEREE, & VAR; KICK-OFF TIME
Date: November 12, 2023, Sunday
The game will begin at 14:00 BST, 09:00 ET, or 06:00 PT.
Venue: Anfield
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Mark Scholes and Nick Greenhalgh
Official number four: Tim Robinson
VAR– Stuart
Recording head-to-head
Although Liverpool and Brentford have faced each other since 1906, there have only been 19 previous meetings between the two teams.
It should come as no surprise that the Reds have had more success in this matchup—winning 11, drawing 4, and losing 4.
Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, Liverpool and Brentford have only met four times, all following the Bees’ 2021 promotion to the Premier League.
Liverpool has won two of those four games, both of which were played at Anfield. Frank’s team was defeated by them by a slim 1-0 last season; the previous season’s triumph was more easily secured at 3-0.
But as seen by a 3-1 loss and a 3-3 tie at the Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford may pose a threat to Liverpool on Sunday.
WHERE CAN I VIEW THE LIVERPOOL VS. BRENTFORD TV GAME?
Regretfully, the Liverpool match against Brentford this Sunday at 14:00 (GMT) will not be broadcast to viewers in the United Kingdom. The broadcaster has chosen to air Nottingham Forest’s trip to West Ham United on Super Sunday, rather than the Reds’ match.
For those who want something more retro, BBC Radio 5 Live will broadcast Liverpool vs. Brentford.
In some European nations, Sky Sports will hold the broadcast rights for the match, and Viaplay will handle the majority of northern and central Europe.
The game can be seen on Peacock in the United States and on fuboTV in Canada.
After the game, LFCTV will provide match commentary, highlights, and the whole match replay.
TEAM NEWS FOR LIVERPOOL
Before Brentford visits, Klopp faces many selection conundrums, most of them involve the midfield position.
After receiving five yellow cards in the Premier League, Alexis Mac Allister was suspended. He will play Manchester City again during the international break. The Reds will also be without Thiago, Stefan Bajcetic, and Curtis Jones; however, Jones is anticipated to return later in November.
Due to a minor knee injury, Ryan Gravenberch was unable to go to Toulouse; nevertheless, Klopp stated that the Dutchman might be available for the match this coming weekend. The Liverpool manager has stated that he will undoubtedly be fit following the international break, therefore it is possible that the former Bayern Munich midfielder will be sidelined as a precaution.
Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Harvey Elliott are Liverpool’s only senior midfield alternatives, hence there aren’t many options in midfield.
Trent Alexander-Arnold might play there on Sunday, according to Klopp, who also acknowledged that Cody Gakpo was utilised more extensively at the start of the season.
With his shoulder injury, Andy Robertson is still out, but it’s unclear if Klopp will start Kostas Tsimikas in the first line following his expensive first half performance against Toulouse.Joe Gomez, who played against Luton, could settle on the left side.
While Conor Bradley is still hurt, Virgil van Dijk is likely to be well enough to play this weekend. The duo missed the trip to France due to illness.
Diogo Jota may start against Toulouse following his strong cameo and goal, but Luis Diaz began in light of the news that his father was freed from captivity and is now safe in Colombia.
TEAM BRENTFORD NEWS
The Reds will be looking to take advantage of Brentford’s numerous absences and fitness issues on Sunday.
The good news for Liverpool following his outstanding performance in the loss at Anfield last season is that Ivan Toney is still suspended. Additionally absent at the top is Kevin Schade, and Keane Lewis-Potter probably isn’t either.
Mikkel Damsgaard and Josh Dasilva are back in training, but it might be too soon for them to visit Merseyside. Shandon Baptiste, who recently saw action for the Brentford B squad, may participate from the bench.
Given that Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey are both sidelined, Frank may choose to start with five at the back.
Mark Flekken, who suffered a dead leg against West Ham last weekend, is anticipated to make his comeback in goal.
PREDICTED LINEUP
Given his limited choices in central areas, it will be interesting to watch how Klopp arranges his midfield. Van Dijk should be able to make a comeback as well, and left-back might be a position to watch closely.Salah and Darwin Nunez will go first, but it’s unclear if Diaz or Jota will accompany them.
Alisson, Endo, Elliott, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Szoboszlai, and Jota (4-3-3).
PREDICTION
Even with their recent struggles away from home, Liverpool has won every single game at Anfield this season. On Sunday afternoon, that shouldn’t alter, although optimism won’t be as high as it was two weeks ago.
You can’t bet on Liverpool clean sheets this season, at home or away, which is concerning. As a result, Klopp’s backline issues are probably caused by the pace of Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa up top. Not only are the midfield inadequacies concerning, but Brentford also lacks depth in their lineup.
There’s always optimism with Liverpool’s strong attacking line; maybe the Reds can slip past it on Sunday before the international break.
Liverpool 2 vs 1 Brentford
