Liverpool vs Brentford

The two sides that won their curtain-raising Premier League outings lock horns at Anfield as Liverpool take on Brentford.

Expectations are at an all-time high ahead of Arne Slot’s touchline debut at Anfield after the Dutch manager got his Premier League tenure off to a dream start with a 2-0 win at Ipswich Town last weekend. After becoming the first Reds coach to win his first game in charge since Graeme Souness in 1991, Slot bids to strengthen Liverpool’s formidable record of losing just one of their last 23 league matches in August (W16, D6). Endorsed by iconic former boss Jurgen Klopp at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, the Dutchman looks to maintain Liverpool’s superb run of winning their opening home league fixture in ten of the last 11 seasons (D1). Brentford’s visit increases the likelihood of such an outcome, as Liverpool won both league H2Hs in 2023/24 by an aggregate score of 7-1.

A 3-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture last term forms part of Brentford’s three-game losing league streak against the Merseyside powerhouse, which doesn’t bode well for their hopes of upholding a 100% Premier League start. Goals on either side of halftime inspired the Bees to a 2-1 home victory against Crystal Palace on day one. Brentford must defy the odds to post back-to-back league wins at the beginning of a new season for the first time since 2006/07 when they were in the third tier. While they take this trip as massive underdogs, the Bees can draw confidence from their inspiring away form toward the end of last season, which saw them lose just once on four league trips (W2, D1).