Liverpool vs Brentford LIVE: Arne Slot aims for Reds Premier League first at Anfield against Bees – kick-off time, team news and how to follow

Liverpool host their first competitive game at Anfield without Jurgen Klopp since October 2015 this afternoon against Brentford.

The German is gone, and Arne Slot is ready for his Premier League debut at the Reds’ iconic home ground.

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Liverpool made a good start to the post-Klopp era with a 2-0 win over newly promoted Ipswich.

The Reds were poor in the first half but turned it on in the second period and left Portman Road with all three points thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.

And Slot could now become their first Premier League boss to win his opening two matches if they beat the Bees.

Meanwhile, Brentford made a great start to the new season with a hard-fought victory 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.

Thomas Frank was without Ivan Toney for that match, with the striker closing in on an exit before the close of the transfer window.

Liverpool vs Brentford: Same old Salah

Salah has a new haircut, and he has a new manager leading the way, but it’s clear nothing has changed for the Egyptian international.

The superstar forward scored his ninth goal on the opening weekend of a Premier League season, which is a new record.

Before that, he was tied with Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard on eight, but after slotting in against Ipswich, he leads the way.

Salah also bagged an assist for Jota’s goal as he made the perfect start to the new campaign.

This could turn out to be Salah’s last season at Anfield, with his contract set to expire at the end of the year, so if it is, expect him to make it a special one.

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• In a run stretching back to 1939, Liverpool have won each of their last five home games against Brentford, keeping a clean sheet each time.
• Brentford have won just one of their six Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D1 L4). At least one team has scored 3+ goals in five of those six games, with the exception being a 1-0 win for the Reds in May 2023.
• Liverpool have lost just two of their last 61 Premier League home games (W46 D13), while they haven’t lost at Anfield in the opening month of the season since 2015 (0-3 v West Ham).

Liverpool vs Brentford: Date and how to follow

This Premier League game is set to take place on Sunday, August 25.

Kick-off at Anfield is scheduled for 4:30pm.

The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.

Sky Go customers will be able to tune in via their laptops and mobile devices.

Alternatively, fans can tune in via NOW TV, with options starting from £14.99 for a one-day pass, £26 per month for a year and £34.99 for a rolling monthly contract.

talkSPORT will have updates throughout the afternoon, and talkSPORT.com will have a live blog.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

• Liverpool are looking to start their Premier League season with two consecutive wins for the first time since 2021/22, a season in which they started with an away win at a newly promoted East Anglian team (3-0 vs Norwich); they beat Ipswich 2-0 at Portman Road last weekend.
• Brentford have won four of their last seven Premier League matches (D1 L2), more than in their previous 21 games combined (W3 D4 L14).
• Arne Slot won his first Premier League game in charge of Liverpool on MD1 against Ipswich, with Graeme Souness in April 1991 the last Reds boss to win his opening two league games in charge.
• Liverpool had 50 touches in the opposition box against Ipswich, the most in a manager’s first ever game in charge in the Premier League that Opta has on record since 2008/09.

Liverpool vs Brentford: Teams

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Salah, Diaz, Jota

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Nunez, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Quansah, Bradley

Brentford: Flekken, Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer, Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen, Mbeumo, Lewis-Potter, Wissa

Subs: Van den Berg, Schade, Valdimarsson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Mee, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Trevitt

• Brentford’s last away Premier League match of 2023/24 was a 2-1 win at Bournemouth – the Bees haven’t won consecutive away games since winning their final away game of 2022/23 (3-1 vs Spurs) and first away game of 2023/24 (3-0 vs Fulham).
• Bryan Mbeumo could make his 100th Premier League appearance in this game, becoming the fourth Brentford player to hit that mark. Mbeumo averages a goal or assist every 108 minutes in games he plays without Ivan Toney (14 goals, 8 assists), compared to a goal involvement every 250 minutes in matches that feature him (9 goals, 13 assists).
• Mohamed Salah scored and assisted in Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League win over Ipswich on MD1, the 32nd time he has done so in a game in the competition, level with Thierry Henry. Only Wayne Rooney has both scored and assisted in more games in the history of the competition (36 games).
• Yoane Wissa has scored and assisted in each of his last three Premier League appearances for Brentford, the first player to achieve that for any club since Riyad Mahrez in December 2021 for Man City. No player in Premier League history has scored and assisted in four consecutive appearances.

Liverpool vs Brentford: What has been said?

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has revealed that Slot wants to see the Reds tighten up this season.

Speaking to the club’s website, the Brazilian said: “This is a clear message from the manager. He wants us to get more clean sheets.

“He understands the importance of getting clean sheets, of having a team that can defend really well, being solid, being compact, being consistent. This is going to carry us through the season and will win us games as well.

“We know the offensive quality that we have. So if we can defend the same way as we attack, if we can be that good, it will be really good for us this season to achieve our goals.”