Brentford v Liverpool: Preview, predicted line-ups & team news

Liverpool travel to west London with questions to answer after a 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City last Sunday.

The visitors looked blunt at Anfield, failing to score for the second time in their three home games this season. Brentford, by contrast, are one of only a handful of sides in the division yet to lose.

The hosts sit fourth, a position built on a draw-heavy start. Four of their six games have finished level, and they have scored in every one of them. A side that rarely loses and always scores is an awkward opponent for anyone short of confidence.

This kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, 17 October at the Brentford Community Stadium.

Brentford have won two and drawn four of their six league games, collecting 10 points and a goal difference of +6. Their form reads WDDDWD, with the two wins both coming at home: 3-0 against Tottenham on 22 August and 3-0 against Chelsea on 18 September.

Away from home they have been harder to beat than to separate. Three trips have produced three draws, at Leeds (1-1), last Saturday). They have conceded five goals in those three games, against one in three at home. Three of the six goals they have let in came between the 76th and 90th minutes, so late concentration remains a worry.

Liverpool have won two, drawn three and lost one, nine points from six games. Their form reads DDWDWL, and the defeat to City was their first of the campaign.

The numbers say the problem is at home. They have scored two goals in three games at Anfield and conceded five. On the road they have won twice, scored five and conceded two, keeping clean sheets at Ipswich and Bournemouth.

The visitors average 1.2 goals per game and have failed to score twice. They need Wirtz and Gakpo to find the form that makes them dangerous, or Brentford will sit in and hit them on the break.

Over their last six, Brentford have two wins, four draws and no defeats, scoring 12 and conceding six. Liverpool have two wins, three draws and one defeat, scoring seven and conceding seven. On the surface that favours the hosts. Brentford average 1.83 expected goals per game against Liverpool's 1.55, and they have 4.5 shots on target per game to the visitors' 5.0. Liverpool have the ball more (55% possession to 46.2%) but have done less with it. The risk for Brentford is that draws have a habit of being dropped points, and Liverpool's defensive record on the road is better than the hosts'.

Brentford are fourth on 10 points from six games, three behind third-placed Brighton on 13. Everton and Chelsea are also on 10, so one slip drops Keith Andrews' side out of the Champions League places. A win would lift them to 13 and level with Brighton.

Liverpool have nine points from their six games, so a win would take them to 12 and put them within touching distance of the top four. A defeat would leave them with a second loss in a week and a growing gap to the leading pack, with City already six points clear of everyone bar Arsenal at the top.

Liverpool lead the last 10 meetings with six wins to Brentford's two, and two draws. Games between them average 3.3 goals. Both sides have scored in five of the 10 (50%) and six have gone over 2.5 goals (60%). The most recent was a 1-1 draw at Anfield on 24 May 2026, and before that Brentford won 3-2 at home on 25 October 2025.

The pattern has softened. Liverpool won the three meetings before October 2025 by a combined score of 8-1, but Brentford have taken four points from the last two. Goals are the safer angle than the result. Over 2.5 has landed in 60% of meetings and Brentford's games this season have produced over 2.5 goals in four of six. A 2-1 or 2-2 correct score fits the recent pattern better than a one-sided scoreline.

The biggest gap is in front of goal. Brentford average two goals per game over their last six against Liverpool's 1.17, and the hosts have failed to score in none of them against two for the visitors. Home and away splits widen it: Brentford average 2.3 goals at home, Liverpool 0.7 at Anfield.

The second gap is at the back. Brentford have conceded 0.3 per game at home, Liverpool have kept three clean sheets in six overall to Brentford's two. Liverpool's defence is the better one, but its attack has no cutting edge at present. Brentford should not need many goals to win this.

The game kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday, 17 October. It is not shown live on TV or streaming in the UK because it falls inside the Saturday 3pm blackout. Highlights will be on Match of the Day, and our live blog will carry the key moments as they happen.

The strongest angle is Brentford at 11/8, a price that looks generous for the league's fourth-placed side at home against a team that has just lost 3-0. Goals are the second source of value: Over 2.5 is 8/15, and Brentford have scored in all six league games. The bet builder leans on the hosts not losing, goals, and a Brentford scorer.