Jeremy Jacquet has said that Andoni Iraola has told his Liverpool squad to expect a ‘battle all over the field’ against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds’ third match in seven days takes them to the Gtech Community Stadium as they seek to inflict a first Premier League defeat of the season on Keith Andrews’ side, who begin the day fourth in the table, one point and five places above the Merseysiders.
LFC bounced back from their defeat to Manchester City last weekend by winning 6-3 away to LASK in the Champions League, although the Bees are sure to provide a very stern test for their visitors today.
Jacquet: Liverpool can expect a ‘battle’ v Brentford
Speaking to liverpoolfc.com ahead of the match in west London, Jacquet knows that he and his teammates can expect a physical contest against Brentford, who won this fixture 3-2 on the Reds’ previous visit just under a year ago.
The 21-year-old said: “It’s going to be a big game for us. The manager has already told us that it’s going to be a battle all over the field. However, we’ve been working hard in training, even though time has been a bit short, and we will be ready.
“I think that we’ve already shown how we can bounce back over in Austria but now it’s important to get back to winning ways, this time in the Premier League.”
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Jacquet’s physicality could be vital for Liverpool
Liverpool’s visit to Brentford last October was a chastening experience, with the Reds dominated in the physical stakes and conceding early to a goal initiated by a long throw-in from Michael Kayode.
Fatigue might be a factor today, with Iraola’s team having played twice since the Bees’ most recent outing (2-2 away to Aston Villa last Saturday), and the Basque will be forced into at least one change due to Ryan Gravenberch’s suspension following his red card against Man City.
However, in Jacquet we have a centre-back who’s one of the best in the Premier League when it comes to individual duels, as exemplified by statistics from Fotmob comparing him with positional peers in the early weeks of the season.
Given the tight turnaround and Brentford’s fine form, today’s match will be an enormous test of character for Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard is expecting a share of the spoils, but if the Reds can go one better and emerge with all three points, it’d represent a magnificent victory to round off a busy week and carry strong momentum into upcoming Anfield assignments against Villarreal and Brighton.