Liverpool vs Brentford preview, prediction, h2h: Nigerian lad set to cap breakthrough season

The final day of the Premier League season brings Liverpool and Brentford to Anfield on Sunday, with both sides still fighting for European qualification and the afternoon set to be dominated by the emotional farewells of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, Afrik-Foot reports.

Liverpool sit fifth on 59 points and need just a single point to mathematically confirm Champions League football next season, though Arne Slot’s side will be desperate to end a deeply disappointing title defence with a victory in front of their home supporters.

Brentford, meanwhile, travel to Merseyside knowing that only three points will keep their dream of European football alive, with the Bees sitting ninth on 52 points and needing results elsewhere to go in their favour even if they win.

It promises to be a highly charged afternoon at Anfield, where tears, tension and high stakes will combine for a fitting end to a season that has delivered drama in abundance.

Match preview

This has been a season Liverpool would rather forget in many ways.

Having won the Premier League title in 2024-25, Slot’s side have stumbled through a campaign that saw them fall from champions to also-rans, unable to sustain a challenge for the top four until the final weeks of the season.

Defeats to Aston Villa and Manchester United in their last three matches have piled pressure on Slot, whose future could hinge on whether Liverpool secure that Champions League berth.

The good news is that a single point on Sunday will be enough to confirm fifth, and with it, a Champions League place courtesy of the expanded format that guarantees five spots to the Premier League.

At Anfield, Liverpool have been more reliable than their overall form suggests, and the emotional weight of Salah’s farewell should provide an extra spark for the home crowd.

Brentford have been one of the stories of the season under Keith Andrews, who has transformed the Bees into genuine European contenders in his first full campaign as a Premier League head coach.

The west Londoners sit ninth on 52 points, seven behind Liverpool, and know that a win at Anfield combined with results elsewhere could lift them into a Europa League or Conference League place.

Their recent form has been mixed, however, with a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace last time out following a heavy 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.

Andrews’ side top the Premier League for shooting accuracy this season, boasting a shot-on-target percentage of 36.8%, and no club has generated more xG per shot than Brentford’s 0.17, a sign of how clinical they have been in front of goal.

Head to head

Liverpool have dominated this fixture historically, winning 10 of 18 meetings in all competitions and losing just once in 10 home encounters against Brentford.

That solitary Anfield defeat came way back in 1937, when Bobby Reid scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 thriller for the Bees, meaning no current Brentford player or fan has witnessed a victory on Merseyside.

Liverpool have also kept clean sheets in their last four home meetings with Brentford across all competitions, a record that shows how formidable they have been at Anfield in this fixture.

The reverse fixture this season, however, told a very different story.

Brentford won 3-2 at the Gtech Community Stadium in October, with Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago all finding the net in a pulsating encounter that exposed Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities.

A win on Sunday would give Brentford the league double over Liverpool for the first time in their history, a prospect that will drive Andrews’ squad on despite the daunting surroundings of Anfield.

Team news

Liverpool

Slot confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Alisson has returned to training after a hamstring injury that has kept the Brazilian sidelined since March. If deemed fit enough to start, the goalkeeper will go straight back into the starting eleven for what could be one of his final appearances at Anfield.

Jeremie Frimpong remains a doubt after missing the defeat to Aston Villa with another hamstring issue, though it is believed the Dutchman could return for the Brentford match.

Alexander Isak missed the Villa defeat but is in contention to start, although Slot may opt against risking the Swede given his injury-disrupted season. Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni are all confirmed absentees through injury.

This will be Mohamed Salah’s final match at Anfield after confirming his departure this summer, and the Egyptian is expected to start despite recent rotation, with 257 goals in 441 appearances making him one of the greatest players in Liverpool’s history.

Andy Robertson, also departing at the end of the season, may have to settle for a place on the bench but will almost certainly feature at some point as the Anfield faithful bid him farewell.

Nigeria-eligible teenager Rio Ngumoha, who has been trusted by Slot in recent weeks, is likely to start on the left wing after an impressive breakthrough campaign that has seen him make 13 Premier League appearances and score one goal since his dramatic debut winner against Newcastle in August.

The 17-year-old, who is eligible to represent the Super Eagles through his Nigerian father, has become one of the most exciting young prospects in the Premier League and could cap an outstanding season with a strong showing on the final day.

Predicted Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1):
Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; MacAllister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha; Gakpo

Brentford

Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo are both ruled out for the remainder of the season with ACL injuries sustained earlier in the campaign. Josh Dasilva remains sidelined with a knee ligament problem, while Rico Henry continues to nurse a hamstring complaint.

Jordan Henderson and Vitaly Janelt have been fitness doubts in recent weeks, though Andrews has been cautiously optimistic about their availability.

Igor Thiago will lead the line and carries the threat of a player who scored in the reverse fixture, while Ouattara and Schade offer pace and directness on the flanks. Yoane Wissa has been back in training and could provide an option from the bench if Andrews needs a fresh attacking spark.

Predicted Brentford XI (4-3-3):
Kelleher; Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Henry; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Ouattara, Thiago, Schade

Star players watch

Salah needs no introduction, but the scale of what he has achieved at Liverpool bears repeating on his final day at Anfield: 257 goals in 441 appearances, a Premier League title, a Champions League, two FA Cups and two League Cups.

The Egyptian will be determined to sign off with a goal, and his record of 14 league goals this season shows he remains a potent threat even in a campaign where Liverpool have underperformed around him.

Igor Thiago has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting young strikers in his first full season in English football, with 12 league goals and five assists making him Brentford’s most important player by some distance.

He scored in the reverse fixture and his physicality and movement will test a Liverpool defence that has looked vulnerable in recent weeks.

The managers

Arne Slot’s second season at Anfield has been one to forget.

Having inherited a title-winning squad and added Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak in the summer, the Dutchman was expected to consolidate Liverpool’s position at the top of English football.

Instead, injuries, inconsistency and an inability to grind out results in tight matches have left the Reds scrapping for a Champions League place on the final day, and Slot’s future at the club remains the subject of intense speculation.

Keith Andrews has been one of the managers of the season.

The Irishman replaced Thomas Frank last summer after the Dane’s departure to Chelsea and has maintained Brentford’s upward trajectory without missing a beat.

His side play with the same intensity and tactical discipline that characterised Frank’s tenure, but Andrews has added his own stamp, getting more out of the attacking unit and turning Brentford into the division’s most accurate shooters.

A European finish in his first season would be a remarkable achievement for a coach still building his reputation at the highest level.

Tactical preview

Liverpool are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Gravenberch and MacAllister providing the platform behind an attacking quartet of Salah, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha and Gakpo.

Slot’s system relies on controlling possession and finding spaces between the lines, with Salah’s ability to drift inside from the right wing and Szoboszlai’s runs into the box creating the primary goal threat.

The concern for Liverpool is at the back, where Gomez and the ageing Van Dijk have looked exposed against pace this season, something Brentford have in abundance through Ouattara and Schade.

Andrews’ 4-3-3 is built on defensive compactness and lightning-quick transitions, with Norgaard anchoring the midfield and Damsgaard providing the creative link between defence and attack.

The reverse fixture showed exactly how Brentford can hurt Liverpool: surrendering possession (just 34% at the Gtech) but creating higher-quality chances through clinical counter-attacks.

The key tactical battle will be in the channels, where Ouattara’s blistering pace on the right could exploit the space behind Robertson or whoever plays at left-back, while Salah’s runs inside from the right will test Collins and Van den Berg’s ability to track runners.

If Liverpool dominate possession without creating clear-cut chances, Brentford’s counter-attacking threat could prove decisive.