MatchThe opposition lowdown: Brentford

Key men

Ivan Toney has been Brentford’s key figure in front of goal this season.

The striker has netted an impressive 21 times across all competitions for the Bees so far, with Bryan Mbeumo scoring six, while Mathias Jensen and Yoane Wissa have five each.

Mbeumo has also provided six assists and Jensen and Toney have five apiece, with Christian Norgaard having played the final key pass on four occasions.

Goalkeeper David Raya, meanwhile, has kept 10 clean sheets for his side.

Style of play

Billy Grant, Besotted Brentford

"Brentford change their style of play according to the opposition and there is no set formula as to when and why. We have played 4-3-3 both at home (against Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa) and away (against Wolves). But we have also played three/five at the back both home and away in a 3-5-2 formation.

"Looking at Liverpool’s strengths, I would expect for us to line up with three at the back with the ultra-reliable Pinnock, Zanka and Player-of-the-Season-in-waiting Ben Mee set up as a three, with Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry flanking them.

"Controlling midfield is key to our game and Christian Norgaard has been pivotal to the Bees’ success this season. Unfortunately, he’s out for this match, so it’s either Frank Onyeka or Vitaly Janelt, who have been taking up that holding position and have been doing grand job with it too."

Recent form

Brentford head to Anfield having won their last two Premier League fixtures.

Thomas Frank’s outfit defeated Nottingham Forest 2-1 on home soil last time out, which followed a 2-0 away victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

A 1-1 home draw with Aston Villa preceded those two fixtures, with the Bees ninth in the standings ahead of this weekend’s round of Premier League matches.

Previous meeting

The Reds have met Brentford once this season, in the reverse Premier League fixture in the capital.

Liverpool were beaten 3-1 on that night in January, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain netting at Gtech Community Stadium.

Stats

• Across three Premier League encounters between the two teams, there have been 13 goals scored, with Brentford scoring six to the Reds’ seven.
• Last season’s Anfield clash was the first league meeting on Merseyside for 76 years.
• Diogo Jota has never lost a game in which he has scored for Liverpool – he has netted in 31 games, winning 27 (including a penalty shootout) and drawing four.

What they said

Thomas Frank

"They're on a decent run. They’re a fantastic club, fantastic players and a fantastic manager.

"When it's rocking, Anfield is one of the most difficult grounds to go to. We experienced that last season, 3-0, clear defeat. So there's a mountain to climb on Saturday.

"The flip side is that we always believe that we can do something in any game – that's brought us to where we are today. But, obviously, they are clear favourites."