Overview
Liverpool's disappointing season will officially close this weekend, and even a victory over Brentford is not enough to help them avoid having the lowest number of points in the last 10 seasons.
Arne Slot is expected to bring Liverpool to compete for the championship after a transfer window costing about 450 million pounds. However, if they lose to Brentford, the "Reds" will suffer their third defeat in the last four rounds, and extend their winless streak to four.
Liverpool's decline in form became even clearer after the 2-4 defeat to Aston Villa. That was the fifth consecutive match they could not keep a clean sheet, and also the third consecutive time the Merseyside team's defense conceded many goals.
In the last 3 matches in the Premier League alone, Liverpool has conceded 8 goals - statistics clearly reflect serious problems in the defense system.
Anfield used to be Liverpool's biggest foothold, but even that no longer provides guarantee. Two wins and 3 draws in the last 5 home matches cannot be considered truly positive form for a team that once set a championship goal.
Notably, Liverpool only scored a maximum of one goal in 4/7 home matches against teams in the top 9. More broadly, they also only have one goal or less in 5 of the last 9 matches at Anfield.
In the first leg in October 2025, Liverpool lost 2-3 to Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium, even though they had previously won all five encounters against this team.
While Liverpool only plays for honor, Brentford still has the goal of competing for a European cup ticket.
Keith Andrews's team is currently tied on points with Chelsea in eighth place - a Conference League spot - and only 2 points behind Brighton in the Europa League race.
However, Brentford will have to hope Chelsea stumble, and at the same time narrow the goal difference gap that is 4 goals behind.
Looking back at the end of the season, Andrews has reason to regret when Brentford has only won one of the last 9 rounds in the Premier League, even though they have only lost 2 matches in that streak.
The away form of the London representative is also a worrying issue. Brentford has not won in the last four away games and is at risk of suffering their third consecutive away defeat if they lose empty-handed at Anfield.
The away team's attack also played unstably when they were silent in 3 of the last 4 away matches. Meanwhile, the defense continues to be a weakness when they conceded at least 2 goals in 7 of the last 11 matches in the Premier League.
Personnel situation
There has been much debate surrounding whether Arne Slot will continue to use Mohamed Salah in the starting lineup or not, after the Egyptian striker posted a message on social media believed to be aimed at Liverpool's head coach.
In the context that Salah is likely to leave Anfield at the end of the season, removing him from the squad in the final match will almost certainly create a fierce reaction from Liverpool fans.
On Brentford's side, Keith Andrews is likely to field the strongest squad to nurture hopes of winning a ticket to European cups.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher is predicted to start at Anfield, while Sepp van den Berg may also play against his old team.
In addition, the possibility of Jordan Henderson returning to the Brentford squad has not been completely ruled out.
Expected lineup:
Alisson, Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Wirtz, Ngumoha, Gakpo.
Kelleher, Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Yarmoliuk, Henderson, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago.
The match between Liverpool and Brentford takes place at 10:00 PM on May 24th (Vietnam time).
