Liverpool manager Arne Slott said ahead of the Brentford trip that the Premier League leaders will face tougher tests in the future.
from: Brentford vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
where: GTech Community Stadium, London, UK
when: 3pm (15:00 GMT) on Saturday
Follow Al Jazeera’s live broadcast, followed by text and video broadcasts of the match.
Arne Slott says the second half of the season will be tougher than the first, as he targets Liverpool’s record-equalling 20th Premier League title in his first season at Anfield.
The Reds, who travel to Brentford on Saturday, have been the standout side in England and Europe this season, losing just two of their 31 matches in all competitions.
The side slot is Four points ahead of second-placed Arsenal In the English Premier League with a postponed match while they host London, Which tied with Manchester City 2-2 This week, the team has the most home wins in the league this season – level with Arsenal and Liverpool on seven.
“This season, perhaps more than any other, shows the strength of every team in the league,” Slott said in a pregame news conference on Friday.
“Until yesterday evening, I think it was quite surprising to see Southampton competing with (Manchester) United,” Slott added, referring to the Red Devils recovering from a goal down to beat the Saints 3-1. Old Trafford.
“It shows you that in the second half of the season, it’s harder to win games than it was in the first half of the season,” Slott continued. “Teams are together longer. Managers work longer with the team. You’ve already played once against each other, so maybe there’s a different game plan. Some teams bring in players to strengthen the team, teams are fighting to get to Europe, win the league, and try to stay in League.
Round 21 is complete ✅
Tomorrow starts round 22… pic.twitter.com/GvBjHlZ2Wy— English Premier League (@premierleague) January 17, 2025
Brentford were the opponents in Slott’s first home league match in August – a match which Liverpool won 2-0.
“I actually thought, if this is the resistance we face every week, then this is a more difficult league than the Eredivisie, which I knew before I came, but that was proven that day as well,” he said. .
The Dutch coach said that Liverpool, who had drawn their last two matches, was not obsessed with the Premier League table “every second of the day.”
Diogo Jota is doubtful to face Brentford after he reported discomfort following his impressive goal-scoring performance against Nottingham Forest in… 1-1 draw in midweek.
Slott played down suggestions that another striker, Darwin Nunez, was suffering from a lack of confidence.
The Uruguayan, who does not start often, has scored just four goals in 26 appearances in all competitions this season.
“For me, it’s the life of a striker. Sometimes you score. Sometimes you don’t,” Sloat said. “And he didn’t start every game.
“The most important thing for me is that as a team we were able to score in every game except for the game against Tottenham (in the League Cup) and (Nottingham Forest earlier in the season).”
He added: “This tells me that we have a lot of goals in our team. Darwin will score his goals, as he has already done for this club, and he will continue to do so. But I do not see him struggling too much.”
Brentford team news
Rico Henry and Ben Mee are set to start after returning to the bench for the Bees’ clash with Manchester City on Tuesday. Henry was introduced as a late substitute in the 2-2 draw. Londoners have no new concerns about infection.
Liverpool team news
Jota is Liverpool’s main focus ahead of the match. Nunez returns from a one-match ban, while Luis Diaz is expected to be fit despite missing training on Thursday due to illness.
Face to face
Brentford’s last win over Liverpool came two years ago and was their first over the Reds since 1938. Since then, the Reds have won the last four meetings and scored 17 goals in all seven meetings between the two teams since the English Premier League was modified to become the Premier League. Premier League. The Bees failed to score in four of those matches.
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— English Premier League (@premierleague) January 17, 2025
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