Isak Leads Liverpool's Response as Brentford Chase Another Statement Afternoon

Brentford and Liverpool have confirmed their starting XIs for Saturday afternoon's Premier League fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium. Kick-off is 3pm BST.

Alexander Isak leads the Liverpool line. The Sweden forward is the reference point for a visiting side that arrives off a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City, and his movement between the lines is the first problem Brentford's centre-backs have to solve. Follow him into midfield and the double pivot is exposed; sit off and Liverpool's No 10 gets the ball on the half-turn.

Brentford are unbeaten in all competitions this season after a 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, and Keith Andrews has kept faith with the group that produced it. The home side have made the Gtech a difficult afternoon for visiting teams, and they will look to make that form count from the first whistle.

Alexis Mac Allister starts in the Liverpool midfield, and his job is the unglamorous one: receive under pressure, turn away from the first challenge, and feed the front four. If Brentford's press can cut that supply line, Liverpool's shape becomes a lot less comfortable.

Bradley Barcola is in the Liverpool XI and is one of the names to watch in the wide forward role. In this setup, the two players either side of the No 10 are asked to stretch the opposition full-backs and arrive at the back post. For Brentford, the wide runners have to make the most of whatever space Liverpool's full-backs leave when they push on.

Liverpool's afternoon is about more than three points. After the City result, the eleven named here is the first answer, and the shape has to look like a platform rather than a cage. Alisson Becker and Caoimhín Kelleher are both listed among the key players for this fixture, a reminder that the goalkeeper who starts has to be aggressive off his line and calm with the ball at his feet when quick turnovers leave space in behind.

Brentford's own attacking reference points are the ones who have carried them through an unbeaten start. The 2-2 draw at Aston Villa is the form line, and the home side will look to turn that momentum into another statement afternoon at the Gtech.

With both teams set up to attack, the early phases are about who imposes their version of the game. If Liverpool's midfield gets on the ball and Mac Allister finds pockets between Brentford's midfield and defence, the visitors will pin Brentford back. If Brentford's front four can press the first pass and force the goalkeeper long, the game becomes a contest of second balls in the middle third.

The Gtech has seen Brentford go unbeaten this season, and the home side will look to make their structure a pressing one rather than a passive one. Liverpool, meanwhile, need the afternoon to look like a response rather than a repeat. Same teamsheet, two very different afternoons on the line.