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Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool’s current run of three wins in seven video games in all competitions proves the power of English soccer moderately than the Reds are struggling.
Liverpool have been held to a 1-1 attract an enthralling encounter in opposition to Nottingham Forest in midweek, seeing their Premier League lead reduce to 4 factors after Arsenal’s win over Tottenham 24 hours later.
Arne Slot’s aspect suffered a defeat to Spurs of their EFL Cup semi-final first leg whereas additionally drawing with rivals Manchester United at Anfield.
However Van Dijk insisted that regardless of failing to win of their first three video games of 2025, the Reds will proceed to struggle for this 12 months’s title, beginning with an away journey to Brentford on Saturday.
“Ooh, so we’re in a disaster now?” joked Van Dijk, when Liverpool’s kind was put to him. “It solely confirms the Premier League is a really powerful league the place you play in opposition to opponents who’re excellent.
“It was all the time going to be powerful, identical with [Manchester] United at dwelling with their new supervisor and the sport plan they’ve been displaying, particularly in opposition to the larger groups.
“Each sport is hard, we’ve to discover a method to win, and I feel if we play like we did within the second half and maintain combating, maintain making an attempt, maintain discovering alternatives, then I’m very assured we’ll rating objectives in addition to we’ve been doing all season.”
Brentford additionally had a stalemate of their final top-flight encounter, producing a late surge to make sure a share of the spoils with Manchester Metropolis on the Gtech Neighborhood Stadium.
It was the second time this season the Bees have come from two objectives all the way down to keep away from defeat within the Premier League this time period. Certainly, the Bees have scored seven top-flight objectives from the ninetieth minute onwards this marketing campaign, essentially the most within the division.
The outcome moved them as much as tenth within the desk and averted a fourth successive dwelling defeat throughout all competitions, and head coach Thomas Frank believes that form of efficiency ensures the sky is the restrict for his gamers.
“I’m a really constructive and optimistic man, I am going into each sport believing that we will win with big respect for any opponents,” Frank stated.
“I do know in some video games we’re in all probability not favourites, for instance at this time, however we all know if we hit our highest stage, we’ve received an opportunity in each sport and that’s a unbelievable feeling to have, and we attempt to transmit it to the boys.
“It’s one sport at a time, however after all [we want to] go so far as attainable. We’ve received an excellent group of gamers; we’ve created an ideal tradition collectively.
“The employees, the gamers, everybody has excellent characters, so we simply attempt to maintain pushing that group, they usually do it for themselves.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brentford – Yoane Wissa
Wissa scored his thirty seventh Premier League objective, overtaking Ivan Toney (36) to turn out to be Brentford’s prime Premier League scorer.
He’s additionally been concerned in 12 objectives throughout his final 10 dwelling league outings for the Bees (10 objectives, two assists), with Toney the one different participant to achieve double figures at dwelling within the top-flight (11 in 2022-23) for Brentford.
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Salah has scored 23 away Premier League objectives in London – the one participant with extra is Wayne Rooney (30).
The Egyptian additionally has 13 assists within the capital, with solely Ryan Giggs (19 objectives, 29 assists) having extra away objectives and assists mixed than the Egyptian (36).
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool have scored in all seven of their Premier League conferences with Brentford (17 objectives in whole), whereas additionally retaining 4 clear sheets in these video games.
The Reds are additionally unbeaten of their final seven Premier League away video games in opposition to London sides (W5 D2), beating Tottenham 6-3 and West Ham 5-0 of their final two. In English Soccer League historical past (prime 4 tiers), no aspect has ever scored 5 or extra objectives in three consecutive away video games within the capital.
They’ve had not less than 20 pictures of their final three Premier League away video games (24 vs Tottenham, 22 vs West Ham, 23 vs Nottingham Forest). The final workforce to take action in 4 in a row have been Manchester Metropolis in November 2014.
Brentford, in the meantime, have misplaced 5 of their seven Premier League video games in opposition to sides beginning the day prime of the desk, with each exceptions coming in 2023 (1-1 v Arsenal in February, 1-0 v Man Metropolis in Could).
The Bees have additionally gained simply considered one of their seven Premier League conferences with Liverpool (D1 L5), shedding the final 4 in a row since a 3-1 win in January 2023.
Having earned 22 factors from their first eight Premier League dwelling video games this season (W7 D1 L0), Brentford have picked up only one level from their final three (W0 D1 L2). Nonetheless, they did come from 2-0 down to attract 2-2 with Metropolis final day trip.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Brentford – 19.2%
Draw – 20.7%
Liverpool – 60.1%
