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Who: Brentford vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Brentford Community Stadium successful London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday astatine 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up connected Al Jazeera Sport from 5pm (16:00 GMT) successful beforehand of our unrecorded substance commentary stream.
Liverpool halted their four-match losing streak by coming from down to triumph astatine Eintracht Frankfurt connected Tuesday, but the Premier League champions’ defence of their rubric is apt to beryllium heavy tested erstwhile again astatine Brentford.
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The Reds suffered their 4th consecutive loss, 3 of which came successful the league, erstwhile they were beaten 2-1 astatine location connected Sunday by fierce rivals Manchester United.
Brentford, who themselves had piled unit connected United with a 3-1 location triumph connected September 27, person had a mixed play compared with their awesome displays successful caller years aft their long-awaited bow successful the apical flight.
Liverpool volition beryllium the favourites to cod 3 points, but Brentford Community Stadium successful West London is seldom an casual spot to visit, and question marks bent implicit Arne Slot’s side, including the enactment of their mercurial Egyptian guardant Mohamed Salah.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a person look astatine our featured Premier League crippled connected Saturday:
What is the latest connected Liverpool striker Isak?
Alexander Isak’s underwhelming commencement to his Liverpool vocation deed different bump erstwhile helium sustained a groin wounded successful the Champions League win successful Frankfurt.
The Sweden striker, signed from Newcastle for a British grounds interest of 125 cardinal pounds ($170m) astatine the extremity of the summertime transportation window, was withdrawn astatine halftime of the 5-1 victory.
It was the 2nd wounded connected the nighttime for Liverpool aft close backmost Jeremie Frimpong came disconnected midway done the archetypal fractional due to the fact that of a hamstring problem.
Isak has been gathering up his lucifer sharpness successful the past fewer weeks aft grooming distant from the main Newcastle squad successful preseason portion agitating for the determination to Liverpool. He has scored conscionable 1 extremity successful 8 games successful each competitions for his caller club.
Slot said past week that lone present could Isak beryllium reasonably judged, fixed the player’s turbulent preseason.
“Let’s anticipation it’s not that bad, but helium had to spell disconnected due to the fact that helium felt his groin,” the Liverpool manager said. “Many radical wanted maine to play him much and we had to find the balance, and unluckily today, that equilibrium didn’t enactment retired for america perfectly. But let’s anticipation for the best.”
Slot spoke astir the trouble successful managing Isak’s playing clip implicit the past period and said the information the striker played doubly for Sweden successful the caller planetary model strengthened the content helium was acceptable to drawstring unneurotic starts.
“When helium came to the club, helium had hardly trained,” the Dutchman said. “So you bring him measurement by measurement forward, and past you consciousness determination indispensable beryllium a infinitesimal wherever helium tin play doubly a week, and the archetypal clip we effort – helium did it with Sweden arsenic good – helium has to spell off.
“Normally, you effort to hole players for once-a-week football, but if you are Liverpool, you play each 3 days oregon usually 3 times successful 8 days, but we’ve been unfortunate this season. We person to play 3 times successful 7 days.
“We’ve tried to hole him for that. We were truly careful, and helium was perfectly acceptable erstwhile helium came backmost from the nationalist squad earlier the [Manchester] United crippled connected Sunday. We thought helium was good prepared for that, but the margins astatine the apical are small.”
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Could Isak’s wounded assistance Liverpool?
The nonaccomplishment of the Premier League’s astir costly subordinate could really assistance Slot stumble upon the close look to crook astir Liverpool’s fortunes.
The Sweden attacker’s lone extremity since his determination from Newcastle came against second-tier Southampton successful the League Cup.
Isak was replaced astatine half-time during Wednesday’s 5-1 Champions League triumph astatine Eintracht Frankfurt.
With Hugo Ekitike restored arsenic the centre guardant and Florian Wirtz capable to run successful his preferred relation down the striker, Liverpool abruptly clicked into cogwheel successful the 2nd half.
Wirtz, who has been dropped for the past 2 Premier League games, registered his archetypal 2 assists since a 100-million-pound ($133m) determination from Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite Ekitike’s awesome start, which includes 5 goals successful 11 Liverpool appearances, the Frenchman has not started successful immoderate of his side’s 3 Premier League defeats to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and United.
Isak’s lack should springiness the 23-year-old the tally successful the broadside helium craved.
Do Liverpool request to driblet Salah successful the EPL?
Slot said connected Friday that the “last thing” helium is disquieted astir is Salah uncovering his scoring interaction again aft the Liverpool forward’s barren tally for the nine extended to six games.
The Egypt planetary has not scored a Premier League extremity from unfastened play since the opening play of the play and was dropped from the starting lineup for Liverpool’s midweek triumph successful Frankfurt.
He was besides substituted precocious successful Liverpool’s decision by Manchester United aft missing 2 large chances, adjacent arsenic the location squad desperately chased an equaliser.
Slot said helium did not cognize wherefore Salah, who won the Premier League Golden Boot past season, was struggling.
“In wide successful football, players miss chances, and Mo is simply a quality being arsenic well,” helium said astatine his prematch quality conference.
“So we’re not utilized to him missing chances, fto unsocial a fewer games successful a row, but these things tin happen.”
But the manager said helium was assured that Salah, who has scored conscionable 2 Premier League goals successful 8 matches this season, would rediscover his cutting edge.
“The past happening I interest astir is Mo starting to people goals again,” helium said.
“Because that’s what he’s done his full life, and that’s what I expect him to bash successful the upcoming weeks and months for our nine arsenic well.”
Liverpool romped to the Premier League rubric past play and past splashed retired astir 450 cardinal pounds ($600m) connected caller players during the summertime transportation window.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure to Real Madrid combined with injuries has resulted successful a fig of antithetic players being utilized astatine close back, including midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.
Slot admitted his squad were taking clip to adjust, including 33-year-old Salah, who plays connected the close of Liverpool’s attack.
“He’s been successful promising positions often capable for him to people goals but possibly with Trent adjacent more. I don’t know,” helium said.
“But I deliberation successful general, for each player, if you person rather a fewer changes successful your squad during the summer, past everyone needs to find caller connections again, and that goes usually similar this a small bit.
“Mo is not an objection to this.”
Head-to-head
This is lone the 24th gathering betwixt the teams with Liverpool claiming triumph connected 15 occasions and Brentford emerging victorious from 4 of the encounters.
The Reds person won the past 4 matches betwixt the sides.
Brentford squad news
Aaron Hickey is retired with a genu wounded portion Antoni Milambo remains sidelined owed to an ACL problem. Josh Dasilva precocious rejoined the nine but volition besides miss retired with a genu problem.
Liverpool squad news
Jeremie Frimpong and goalkeeper Alisson Becker are retired of the Brentford lucifer with hamstring injuries portion Slot is awaiting updates connected Isak and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.
Predicted Brentford starting lineup
Kelleher; Collins, van den Berg, Pinnock; Kayode, Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Lewis-Potter; Damsgaard; Schade, Thiago
Predicted Liverpool starting lineup
Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Ekitike
English (US) ·