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Arne Slot began his Liverpool tenure with a 2-0 victory at Portman Road last week. His home opener comes against Brentford, who signed Fabio Carvalho from the Reds earlier this month and completed a deal for Sepp van den Berg on Thursday.
It was an excellent second-half display from Liverpool as they swept Ipswich Town aside. Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch was instrumental in the number six position and received many of the post-match plaudits.
The 22-year-old was used sparingly under Jurgen Klopp but his performance eased supporters’ concerns that the Reds are lacking a quality holding midfielder after they missed out on Martin Zubimendi.
Jarell Quansah will have felt hard done by after being hooked at half-time, but it was a decisive move from Slot that paid dividends as Ibrahima Konate’s ability to win his duels laid the foundations for Liverpool to control proceedings.
The 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace lightened the mood at Brentford, who appear resigned to losing Ivan Toney and have seen his replacement Igor Thiago sidelined until the end of the year.
Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa reassured Brentford fans that the team still has some firepower. Last season, the pair scored nine and 12 league goals respectively, and they'll need to match or ideally surpass that this term to help keep the Bees out of trouble.
They rode their luck in the win over the Eagles, as Eberechi Eze had what looked like a legitimate goal ruled out for an off-the-ball incident, but Thomas Frank’s side improved from that moment onwards and were good value for the three points.
Liverpool have a perfect home record versus Brentford since the team from West London were promoted in 2021. The Bees arrive in search of their first point and goal in the Premier League at Anfield.
It has been a different story at the Gtech Community Stadium during that time, with Brentford earning a draw and a win against the Reds over the past few years.
Mohamed Salah scored twice before Diogo Jota added a third when the sides met on Merseyside last November. Salah was also the decisive factor in the previous season when Liverpool won 1-0.
Liverpool’s home record is formidable and Brentford aren’t the only side to have routinely struggled there over the past three seasons.
The Bees ended 2023-24 in decent form on the road but they will need to be flawless if they are to break their Anfield duck.
Jota was a relatively big price to score last weekend and delivered for punters by opening the scoring for Liverpool. His goalscorer odds have been chopped for the visit of Brentford, but there is still value to be had in the shots department. The best bet is one that would have landed on the opening day, and that is for the Portuguese forward to register over 2.5 shots, with over 0.5 on target.
Liverpool’s frontline looked potent at Ipswich, with both Jota and Salah feeling they could have come away with more than just one goal apiece.
It took a while for the Reds to get going but when they did, the chances came thick and fast. Jota wasted the biggest opportunity of the game when Trent Alexander-Arnold picked him out with an inch-perfect cross. He was in the ideal position to make the net ripple but couldn’t direct the header how he intended.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker didn’t have to wait long to atone for that error, though. He continuously found himself in the right areas and this is a common trait for Jota when he plays through the middle.
Having been shifted around the front three when fit last season, it looks as though Jota has the number nine position nailed down for now and that helps his shooting prospects.
He only played a handful of full matches as the central striker in 2023-24, but when he did, the difference in shot count was noticeable.
The same bet for Salah has significantly shorter odds, so this one looks worth a go at the quoted price.
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