Liverpool's match against Brentford on Saturday afternoon will see their title credentials severely tested, according to Reds expert David Lynch.
Arne Slot's side drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday at the City Ground, coming from behind but squandering a number of opportunities in front of goal in the second half.
The Merseysiders are still first and have a game in hand on second-placed Arsenal, but the gap between the clubs is now just four points.
Slot's team are set to take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, and Lynch believes that Thomas Frank's Bees side have all the tools needed to dent Liverpool's title ambitions, telling Sports Mole: "Like so many sides in the Premier League, you look through the team and think about who can hurt you, and there's so many players there.
"[Brentford] are more open and more entertaining [this season compared to last term], so maybe that will suit Liverpool but equally, if you get into a basketball game they can really hurt you. It's another one [that] builds into what feels like a massive week for Liverpool.
"One thing that's worth noting - [there has] been a bit of a question around Liverpool's defending recently and how good they are at that. Maybe Brentford will be licking their lips looking at how many goals Liverpool have conceded recently."
The Reds have only kept one clean sheet in their last seven league games, conceding 12 goals and drawing three times in that period, whereas they had conceded on eight occasions in their first 13 top-flight matches of 2024-25.
Mbeumo and Wissa
Brentford have scored 40 goals in the Premier League this term, outscoring every team in the division other than Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea, but the latter two have only found the back of the net 41 times in the league this season.
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have spearheaded the hosts' attack, scoring 24 of the Bees' total in the league, with the duo helping to inspire their side to comeback from a two-goal deficit against Manchester City and earn a point on January 14.
Some fans are worried that Brentford could take advantage of Liverpool's recent defensive struggles, but while Lynch praised the hosts' attack, he also told Sports Mole that some of the Reds' defensive issues have been exaggerated, saying: "Look at Mbeumo, who should scare any fan of any team to death. He's an absolutely sensational player - one of those that I can't believe a bigger club hasn't come in for him - but Brentford have just got quality all through them as well.
"I saw really good analysis a couple of days ago talking about the fact that Liverpool's save percentage has dipped suddenly from around 75% - where it usually ends the season at - to around 50-55%. It's been a big drop off in the last few games because of little things like deflections or some really good finishing. That sort of thing tends to level out.
"You look at Liverpool's expected goals against - the best record in the Premier League so far. People are thinking that they're defensively worse than they actually are, so now is the time to go and [disprove] that."
Liverpool conceded the only big chance they faced against Nottingham Forest, and though they have conceded 12 times in their last seven in the league, xG stats suggest that they should have only conceded around seven goals.
© Imago
Will Liverpool maintain their lead over Arsenal?
A victory for Slot on the weekend would see his side restore their seven-point lead over Arsenal for a couple of hours at least, but the Gunners welcome Champions League-chasing Aston Villa to the Emirates later on Saturday, and a win for Mikel Arteta is by no means guaranteed.
The Reds beat Brentford 2-0 on August 25 and could have easily scored more than twice, but the Bees were also arguably unfortunate not to score themselves.
While Lynch acknowledged the difficult challenge that Brentford may pose, he also insisted that the Reds have an opportunity to demoralise the Gunners in their pursuit of Liverpool.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch said: "Arsenal fans talk up [this fixture] as a potential banana skin for Liverpool. If [Liverpool] come through that and you're an Arsenal supporter, if you're an Arsenal player, your shoulders perhaps slump and [you] think 'where are they going to drop points?' It doesn't look like there's many opportunities for them to do that.
"How many teams have got Liverpool's quality in attack? There's not many in Europe at all, and that is not just the guys who are going to start [on Saturday], but they've got a couple in reserve who are world-class players as well. So keeping them out - it's a big job for Brentford."
Liverpool will play Bournemouth, Everton and Manchester City away from home in three of the five Premier League games after their trip to Brentford, and if they manage to win at least two of those matches, it would be surprising if the Reds dropped many more points.
Lewis Nolan
