Liverpool return to Premier League action on Saturday with a tough away trip to Brentford, and prominent pundits are predicting an upset at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Andoni Iraola's side look to get their league campaign back on track following last Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield. A midweek 6-3 win at LASK in the Champions League will have helped restore confidence, but Keith Andrews' Brentford are a different proposition.
Pundits Back Brentford to Win
TNT Sports summariser Ally McCoist is backing the Bees to victory. Speaking in a video conversation with Steven Gerrard and Darren Fletcher, the former Rangers star said: "I'm actually, believe it or not, going to go for a Brentford home win. Is Steven out of shot there? Oh no, no, I'm sorry mate, I'm going for a Brentford 2-1 victory."
Kop icon Gerrard responded: "What I would say is that I think it's a really difficult game for Liverpool in the circumstances, with a lot of forward players out and injured. There are rumours that Szoboszlai could scrape through, which would be a big help. And I think all things considered, I think it could be a score draw. 1-1."
Shearer and Sutton See No Reds Win
McCoist's sentiment is shared by Match of the Day regular Alan Shearer. The Premier League's all-time record goalscorer told Betfair: "I'm going to go for a home win. I think Brentford are brilliant in what Keith Andrews has got them all doing. They showed that when 2-1 down last week, they still got the point at Villa Park."
"I think with Liverpool playing in Europe, then travelling to London and then in Europe again on Tuesday night, I'm going to go for a home win. Andoni Iraola has got injuries, so I guess that in itself will make it tough for them. Liverpool can't afford a defeat, but I think Brentford will beat them and pile on the pressure."
BBC pundit Chris Sutton can't see a Reds win either, but has backed them to leave with at least a point. Predicting a 2-2 draw in his weekly predictions column, he wrote: "Liverpool got a big win on their travels in the Champions League against LASK on Wednesday, but there are two ways to look at that result. On one hand, they looked good going forward and it was great for Bradley Barcola to open his account with a hat-trick. But, at the same time, they conceded three goals and they still have that vulnerability about them at the back."
"If the Reds empty the midfield again in this game then they are going to be in trouble, because Brentford are quite direct and will keep looking to run in behind the Liverpool defence. This is a tricky game for Liverpool, and I don't think they will win it. They definitely won't keep a clean sheet, either."
Recent Meetings
Brentford are unbeaten so far this season and will be hoping for their third home win of the campaign. Liverpool are sweating on the fitness of Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Reds lost to the Bees on their last trip to the Gtech Community Stadium last October, but had beaten them in their five previous encounters. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Anfield, their last meeting, on the final day of last season.
