Brentford v Liverpool: Reds to relish capital clash

• Brentford have W0-D1-L7 against top-seven teams

• Liverpool have posted W16-D4-L0 versus fifth and below

• Reds can move five points clear at the top of the table

• Read Betfair's new 90 Minute Payout offer here

Brentford 5.85/1 bagged only their third Premier League victory in 12 games and secured their first top-flight clean sheet since late October when picking up a 2-0 triumph at Wolves last weekend. Ivan Toney's goal grabbed most of the headlines - his fourth since returning from suspension - though head coach Thomas Frank reserved special praise for his defence.

Speaking post-match, Frank said: "It's part of our mindset, character, culture and good ability to defend. A big part of the defence hasn't been good enough and we raised the awareness level a little. We have been conceding too many goals, so it was a key area of focus. In the final meeting our aim was very simple: 'Clean sheet and we win'.

Frank's team have been celebrated for their easy-on-the eye and progressive style, but are perhaps seen as having a bit of a soft touch at times. The Bees have led in 17 of their 23 Premier League matches this season but dropped 26 points - more than any other side in the top-flight. But at Molineux, Brentford were dogged, determined and deserving winners.

Liverpool 1.625/8 returned to winning ways last Saturday when beating Burnley 3-1 in front of a club record league crowd at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp's side responded to their disappointing defeat at title rivals Arsenal with Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez all getting on the scoresheet in a tetchy tussle that saw the Reds put under plenty of pressure.

Burnley had several chances to equalise before Nunez sealed the points with stand-in goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher called into plenty of action. Klopp suggested his squad was "fighting with a bit of flu" and Liverpool certainly weren't their fluent best with Alisson, Joe Gomez, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai all absent through injury or illness.

Analysing the victory post-match, Klopp said: "I can really imagine how Vincent Kompany is feeling right now because they did a lot of good stuff and made it really uncomfortable for us. It was a difficult game with strange circumstances." The Reds did see Andy Robertson return to the starting XI, though Trent Alexander-Arnold's game was cut short by injury.

Liverpool to enhance table-topping position

Nine defeats in 11 plunged Brentford into relegation trouble, though last Saturday's success at Wolves has given the Bees much-needed breathing space in their battle to retain their top-flight status. Thomas Frank's team have underachieved against their reasonable underlying metrics, though their record versus top-seven teams is a concerning W0-D1-L7.

Liverpool haven't always convinced on their travels, but with Alisson, Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley due back, as well as enjoying a welcome midweek off, the Reds will be eager to extend their excellent record against sides outside of the top-four (W16-D4-L0). That includes an impressive W6-D3-L0 when visiting sides in fifth and below.

Interestingly, none of Liverpool's road trips have featured five goals or more this season, whilst 10 of Brentford's 12 overall league losses have also arrived alongside a maximum of four strikes. With that in-mind, I'm happy to support Liverpool to win and Under 4.5 Goals at 1/12.00 with the Merseysiders difficult to dismiss when facing bottom-half opposition.

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