Preview: Liverpool vs Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Liverpool know that a place in the Premier League's top five will be guaranteed if they avoid defeat at Anfield against European hopefuls Brentford on Sunday in their final match of the season.

Arne Slot's hosts are fifth with 59 points and can even claim Champions League football if they lose given they are three points ahead of sixth-placed Bournemouth, while ninth-placed Brentford have 52 points and could earn a spot in the Europa League.

Match preview

Liverpool's disastrous campaign will come to a close on Sunday, and even a win would still leave them with their worst points total in 10 seasons.

Slot was expected to challenge for the title after his squad was reinforced with £450m worth of signings, but a loss against Brentford would be their third in four games, as well as their fourth consecutive match without victory.

The Merseysiders were beaten 4-2 by Aston Villa on May 15, and that was their fifth fixture in a row without a clean sheet, and Villa's fourth was the eighth goal the Reds have conceded in their past three clashes in the league.

Liverpool have at least proven to be somewhat more difficult to play against at Anfield, though it would be wrong to suggest that two wins and three draws in their last five at home represents a particularly strong period of form.

It should be noted that the Reds only managed to score one goal in four of their seven home clashes against the current top nine, while they have netted one or fewer times in five of their past nine at Anfield.

Liverpool conceded three times when they faced Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in October 2025, losing 3-2, though they had won their prior five meetings with the Bees.

Sunday's match will also be significant for Brentford and their European ambitions given they are level on points with Chelsea in the eighth-placed Conference League spot, while just two points separate them from Brighton & Hove Albion in the seventh-placed Europa League spot.

It will be difficult to keep track of all the possible permutations on the final day, though should the Bees fail to overcome Chelsea's goal difference of seven - four more than the visitors - then perhaps Keith Andrews will look back at his side's recent form with regret.

The Londoners may only have experienced two losses in nine Premier League games heading to Anfield, but they only managed to take all three points once in that stretch.

Brentford's away performances have also been concerning, with the club winless in their past four on their travels, and a defeat on Merseyside would extend their losing streak on the road to three games.

Andrews's side have also failed to score in three of their four most recent away fixtures, while they conceded at least twice in seven of their last 11 top-flight outings.

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Brentford Premier League form:

Team News

There has been some debate about whether Slot would opt to start Mohamed Salah after the Egyptian appeared to criticise the head coach in a social media post.

Given the winger will leave at the end of the season, then a decision to omit the 33-year-old from the lineup would almost certainly mark the destruction of the relationship between Slot and the Anfield faithful.

Andrew Robertson is also set to make his farewell appearance, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker will hope that he can start what could be his final game for the club.

As for Brentford, expect to see their strongest possible XI, which will no doubt include former Red Caoimhin Kelleher between the posts.

Sepp van den Berg is also set to feature against his former club, while a return appearance for Jordan Henderson should not be ruled out.

The Bees will have plenty of options in attack, though they may be at their most dangerous if striker Igor Thiago plays alongside the likes of Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Gakpo

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Yarmoliuk, Henderson; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

We say: Liverpool 2-1 Brentford

It would be fitting for Salah and Robertson to end their careers at Anfield on a high, and the former will be particularly desperate to score one final time for the Merseysiders.

While Liverpool will still have weaknesses that Brentford could exploit, the home crowd will try their best to carry the Reds to a bittersweet victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Vote in the 2025-26 Sports Mole Readers' Awards!

Cast your votes for the 2025-26 Sports Mole Reader Awards' below - pick your Premier League player of the season, worst signing of the season, European player of the season and more.

Voting will be open until 11pm on Sunday, May 24, and the winners will be announced on Monday, May 25!