When Liverpool host Brentford at Anfield this Sunday afternoon (kick-off at 16:00 BST), the Reds will be aiming to secure a top-five finish and Champions League qualification for 2026-27 with at least a draw. Here’s a fresh look at 17 key statistics and facts to set the stage for what promises to be a decisive Premier League encounter.
head-to-head history and recent form
Liverpool and Brentford have locked horns 24 times in all competitions, with the Reds emerging victorious in 15 of those meetings. The Merseyside side has found the net in all but one of those clashes—a dominance that sets the tone for Sunday’s fixture.
In nine of their last 12 meetings across all competitions, at least one side has netted three goals, hinting at the potential for a high-scoring affair. Despite a narrow 3-2 loss in the reverse fixture this season, Liverpool has never lost back-to-back top-flight matches against Brentford, a streak they’ll be keen to extend.
milestones on the horizon
If the Reds find the net twice, they’ll reach a milestone of 150 Premier League goals under the guidance of Arne Slot. Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister could step onto the pitch for his 150th appearance in a Liverpool shirt, adding another chapter to his growing legacy at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah remains a thorn in Brentford’s side, with seven goals in eight career meetings against the Bees—the highest tally by any player in this fixture. His clinical edge is undeniable, averaging a goal every 95 minutes against Thomas Frank’s side. A potential eighth goal on Sunday could see him become the first player since Sadio Mané in 2020 to net Liverpool’s final league goal of the season for two consecutive campaigns.
van dijk’s ironman streak and anfield fortress
Virgil van Dijk has been a paragon of consistency, playing every minute of 74 of Liverpool’s 75 Premier League games under Slot, including all 37 fixtures this season. Should he feature for the full 90 minutes on Sunday, the 34-year-old would shatter the record for the oldest outfield player to complete 100% of minutes in a Premier League campaign, eclipsing John Terry’s benchmark from 2014-15.
Van Dijk’s endurance this season is staggering—4,851 minutes on the pitch across all competitions is the highest tally for a Liverpool outfield player since Sami Hyypiä tallied 5,205 in 2005-06.
Liverpool’s Anfield has been a fortress in recent years. The Reds have gone unbeaten in their last 18 home league campaigns (15 wins, three draws) since a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in 1988-89. Their last home league loss came over a decade ago, in the 2014-15 season, when they fell 6-1 to Stoke City.
brentford’s struggles and rare triumphs
Brentford’s recent form offers little comfort ahead of the trip to Merseyside. The Bees have managed just one win in their last nine Premier League outings (six draws, two losses), their most recent victory coming in a 3-0 drubbing of West Ham United earlier this month.
Digging deeper into history, Brentford’s away form against Liverpool paints a bleak picture. Between 1936 and 1937, the Bees went unbeaten in their first three top-flight away trips to Anfield (one win, two draws), but since then, they’ve lost each of their last six visits without scoring a single goal.
Igor Thiago has been Brentford’s talisman this season, netting 22 of the side’s 54 Premier League goals—a remarkable 41% share. This is the highest proportion of goals scored by a single player in a single campaign since Harry Kane’s 43% haul for Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 (30 goals in 70 appearances).
coaching crossover
Brentford’s current manager, Keith Andrews, brings a unique perspective to the fixture. As a player, he faced Liverpool five times, netting once in a 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in February 2010. His experience against the Reds could add an intriguing subplot to Sunday’s clash.
With a top-half finish still within grasp, Brentford are on course for their best-ever Premier League campaign. Their previous four seasons have yielded finishes of 13th, 9th, 16th, and 10th since earning promotion in 2021—a trajectory they’ll be eager to improve upon.