Seven names on the treatment table, one more watching from the stands. That’s the puzzle Andoni Iraola carries into West London, and it shapes every pick he makes. Brentford will smell blood at home.
Absences force Iraola’s hand
Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are out for weeks, while Hugo Ekitiké faces a long wait with an Achilles problem. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are carrying knocks as well, and Ryan Gravenberch serves a ban on Saturday. Iraola, then, picks from whoever’s left standing.
Who fills the gaps? Liverpool predicted XI vs Brentford
Alisson keeps goal. Ronald Araujo, a centre-back by trade, shifts to right-back to cover Bradley, with Jérémy Jacquet and Virgil van Dijk inside him and Miloš Kerkez on the left. Gravenberch’s suspension hands Trey Nyoni a start next to Alexis Mac Allister, which is a big ask for a young lad. Further forward, Víctor Muñoz and Bradley Barcola flank Florian Wirtz, and Lewis Koumas leads the line because Isak and Ekitiké can’t.
Form gives mixed signals
Liverpool battered LASK 6-3 last time out, which looks lovely on paper. Before that, though, Manchester City won 3-0 at Anfield, and the earlier 0-0 against Fulham showed how dull this side gets when the final ball goes missing. Wins over Bournemouth and Tottenham sit further back.
Can Liverpool cope without so many key men at Brentford?
Yes, probably, but it won’t be pretty. Wirtz is the reason. He’s the one player in this XI who can unpick a packed defence alone, and Barcola’s pace on the left gives him a runner to find. Brentford sit compact at the Gtech and hit teams on set-pieces, so Liverpool need patience, not panic.
The worry sits at both ends. Nyoni and Mac Allister must shield a back four with Araujo out of position, and Brentford love attacking exactly that sort of mismatch down the flank. Set pieces worry me too, because this makeshift back line hasn’t played together much. Meanwhile, Koumas has little top-flight experience, so the goals have to come from the creators behind him rather than the striker. That’s a lot to ask.
Still, Iraola can’t pick any other way, and this XI has enough craft to grab a narrow win. Koumas gets a proper chance to announce himself. A draw wouldn’t shock anyone. A defeat would.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson Becker – Ronald Araujo, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk, Miloš Kerkez – Trey Nyoni, Alexis Mac Allister – Víctor Muñoz, Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola – Lewis Koumas.
