New Delhi: Arne Slot is all set to lead Liverpool to battle at Anfield for the first time in the Premier League match as they host Brentford tonight at 9 pm. The Reds handed Ipswich Town a rude awakening with a 2-0 triumph last weekend in their opening game while the Bees also emerged victorious over London rivals Crystal Palace at home by a scoreline of 2-1.
Liverpool FC
Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, gestures during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Liverpool FC at Portman Road on August 17, 2024 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Mohammad Salah was once again up to his usual tricks as he found the net for Liverpool on the opening matchday of yet another exciting Premier League campaign. Ipswich Town did cause trouble for Liverpool, especially in the first half of the game but goals from Salah and Jota proved to be enough to bag three points for the Reds.
Arne Slot with the win over the Blues marked himself an anomaly and bucked the trend of newly appointed Reds coaches ending their first Premier League day sullied by the weight of a defeat. He became the first Liverpool manager since Gerard Houllier in 1998 to win their first Premier League match in charge of the club.
Brentford FC
Thomas Frank, Manager of Brentford, gestures during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Crystal Palace FC at Gtech Community Stadium on August 18, 2024 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
The Bees’s head coach Thomas Frank was one of the several names floated about as Liverpool’s possible successor to Klopp but the Dane’s loyalty to Brentford was awarded on the opening weekend where they were arguably underdogs against Palace but they managed to win.
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa got on the scoresheet in the absence of the English striker Ivan Toney who was left out of the squad due to transfer-related concerns. The Bees also managed to sink Bournemouth in their final away game of the last season when they achieved back-to-back top-flight wins on the road. They even coincidentally beat Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the 2022-23 term before defeating Fulham in their last season away game.
It will be extremely difficult for Brentford to repeat the same achievement at Anfield, though, given they lost both of their matches there last season and have not triumphed against the Reds there since 1937 before the Second World War, and the Bees have even lost all eight of their previous meetings on Merseyside.
Team News
Ivan Toney of Brentford in action during the pre-season friendly between Brentford and VFL Wolfsburg at Gtech Community Stadium on August 9, 2024 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Arne Slot removed Jarell Quansah at halftime despite him siding well with Ibrahima Konate at Portman Road. Slot later on even claimed that the young Englishman had lost a few crucial duels rather than being substituted out for fitness reasons.
However, the 21-year-old Englishman has now picked up a training injury and is a doubt for today’s match so Konate will partner with Virgil van Dijk. Other than Quansah Slot has a clean bill of health for today’s match. The Reds have not made a single addition during the transfer window and are expected to open the season’s first home game with almost the same lineup, with Ryan Gravenberch starting in a deeper midfield position once again.
On the other hand, Brentford’s star striker Toney appears to be no closer to a possible transfer to the Saudi Pro League or any other club, and even his participation in today’s match is clouded in uncertainty. However, the injured quartet of Rico Henry (knee), Igor Thiago (knee), Josh Dasilva (knee), and Aaron Hickey (thigh) will miss the upcoming clash.
Wissa should lead the charge once more as he looks to make Premier League history—the international player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo may become the first to score and assist in four straight games in the tournament with Toney probably staying out of the game.
Sepp van den Berg, another player the Bees have acquired from their upcoming hosts will undoubtedly be too early for the Dutchman to make a debut.
Head-to-Head
Liverpool have managed to win their last five home games against Brentford and have kept a clean sheet in each of them. The Reds have lost just one of their six Premier League matches against Brentford. They have won four and drawn one.
Liverpool side have suffered just two losses in their last 61 Premier League home appearances whereas Brentford side have been victorious in four of their last seven Premier League matches. The Reds have failed to pick up consecutive wins in their first two Premier League matches in the last two seasons.
Predicted lineup
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota
Brentford: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade
When, where, and how to watch the Liverpool vs Brentford match in India?
The Liverpool vs Ipswich Premier League 2024-25 match will be telecast live by Star Sports Network in India. Fans can join the Star Sports Network at 5:00 pm tomorrow to watch the game. For those looking for a streaming option, the match will also be streaming live on the Disney+ Hotstar website and app.
Match Prediction
Brentford’s attacking line is sufficient to stretch and test the Liverpool defense, in addition to Wissa’s current scoring surge, Mbeumo averages a goal every 108 minutes when Toney is out of the game, as opposed to one every 250 when he’s in.
Frank did admit, though, that the Bees still had luck against Palace at times, and Slot’s full-strength Liverpool should ruthlessly punish any mistakes made by the visitors as they continue to enjoy an unbeaten start to 2024–25.
Final Scoreline: Liverpool 2-1 Brentford
Liverpool will host Brentford at Anfield tonight under their new coach Arne Slot for the first time. Check out the latest on team news, lineups, and match insights. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
