Brentford vs Liverpool Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Brentford owner Matthew Benham has made a series of brilliant decisions, appointing Danish manager Thomas Frank, who led the Bees to Premier League promotion and has kept the London club in the top-flight for the past three seasons.
Following Frank’s move from West London to North London to become the new manager at Tottenham Hotspur, Benham made another gutsy decision to catapult former set‑piece coach Keith Andrews into the head coach role.

Andrews was visibly seething after Chris Wood put Nottingham Forest ahead from a set‑piece, just five minutes into his tenure. A lapse in concentration allowed Forest to add two more goals before the half‑time whistle, leaving Andrews with a daunting welcome as Brentford departed the City Ground empty‑handed.

The Bees shattered their previous club transfer record to prize away 23-year-old winger Dango Ouattara (£42.5million) from Bournemouth. Their reward was instant as Ouattara’s composure and fine finish in the (1–0) victory over Aston Villa secured Brentford their first victory of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.

Next week, Brentford travel to Blundell Park, prepared to lock horns with Grimsby Town, who’ve already slayed Premier League opposition Manchester United. The Bees secured passage to the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a victory over high-flying Bournemouth (0-2) and edging out Aston Villa (4-2) on penalties.

Their cup venture took its toll on their Premier League commitments as Brentford succumbed to a 2–1 defeat at the Stadium of Light against newly‑promoted Sunderland. However, the Bees showed resilience in their first high-profile encounter of the season against Chelsea.

Kevin Schade stunned Chelsea, giving Brentford the lead in the first half before Cole Palmer came off the bench to make an instant impact. Palmer and Moises Caicedo both scored to turn the game on its head.

However, Brentford manager Andrews made an inspired substitution of his own with Fabio Carvalho netting the equalizer (2-2), to steal a share of the spoils during his five-minute cameo appearance.

The Bees’ inconsistent form on their travels continued during their short trip to Fulham, beginning brightly by taking the lead through Mikkel Damsgaard, ultimately surrendering (3‑1) under constant pressure.

At home, Brentford have produced their finest football, outclassing Manchester United (3-1) with two goals courtesy of Igor Thiago.

In their third big test, playing host to top-quality opposition, Brentford gave a tremendous account of themselves despite the Bees narrowly being beaten by a solitary Erling Haaland goal.

Following big spending, big expectations, and big losses, the pressure is mounting at Liverpool as Arne Slot’s managerial hot seat has effectively become a sauna bench with his head reflecting the heat and havoc of the defending Premier League champions in crisis.

New arrivals, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, scored in the first half of the Community Shield as Crystal Palace replied with two goals of their own and ultimately beat the Reds (3-2) on penalties.

Mohamed Salah skied their first penalty into the stands at Wembley, while Alexis MacAllister’s attempt was stopped by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Liverpool were fortunate to claim maximum points after Antoine Semenyo cancelled out their first-half lead on the opening day of the Premier League. With the game precariously balanced (2-2), Slot enforced substitutions as Federico Chiesa and Salah scored in the final stages to seal the contest (4-2).

The atmosphere was electric at St James’ Park, especially with Alexander Isak’s then potential move to Liverpool casting a long shadow. The Reds were feeling the squeeze once again when Newcastle United overturned a 2‑0 deficit thanks to goals by Bruno Guimaraes and William Osula.

With the score deadlocked (2‑2), manager Arne Slot rolled the dice by introducing 17‑year‑old wonder‑kid Rio Ngumoha deep into stoppage time.

Unbelievably, with 100 minutes on the clock, Ngumoha announced himself to the Liverpool faithful by scoring the winner and stealing maximum points from Newcastle.

In a game of small margins, Liverpool came out trumps against fellow title-challengers Arsenal (1-0), as Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick stole the headlines and all three points. The Reds were then surprised by newly-promoted Burnley, requiring a 95th-minute Salah penalty to edge the game (0-1) at Turf Moor.

These two games are the only occasions this season that Liverpool has kept consecutive clean sheets. Even more concerning was their inability to score from open play.

Liverpool were cruising (2-0) in the lead thanks to goals by Andrew Robertson and Salah in the first five minutes of their opening UEFA Champions League clash. However, Atletico Madrid repeated the same script as opponents in previous matches by clawing themselves back into the contest with two goals courtesy of Marcos Llorente (2-2).
Captain Virgil van Dijk came to the rescue this time around, heading home a wonderfully delivered corner from Szoboszlai as Liverpool claimed (3-2) victory. The Reds then edged out Merseyside rivals Everton (2-1), before booking their spot in the fourth round of the EFL Cup by ousting Southampton (2-1).

The tables were turned in their next four fixtures as Liverpool lost four consecutive matches. Suffering defeat (1-0) away to Galatasaray in the UCL, followed by 2-1 defeats to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Manchester United, respectively.