Liverpool Travel to Brentford for Premier League Clash Amidst Injury Concerns and Ban Appeals

Key summary

The English Premier League's seventh matchday is set for Saturday, October 17, 2026, featuring five fixtures, with Liverpool hosting a trip south to face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford manager Keith Andrews has kept his unbeaten record intact this season with two wins and four draws totaling ten points, following a 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa last weekend. The Bees are missing several key players: Josh Dasilva is confirmed out due to injury, while Mikkel Damsgard and Yannick Bolasie are also unavailable. Kevin Schade has suffered a shoulder injury and will undergo fitness tests, though Danjko Otara and Keen Lewis-Potter could step in alongside Jaydon Anthony and Igor Thiago for the attack. Liverpool returned to form with a convincing 6-3 victory over LASK Linz in the UEFA Champions League midweek but lost their opening league match 0-3 to Manchester City. Andy Iralola's squad faces absences including Ryan Gravenberch, who is suspended after receiving a red card for an incident involving Chris Kavanah, alongside Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leonelli, and Conor Bradley who are injured. Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, and Dominik Szoboszlai were testing fitness at the last minute, with Trey Neeony potentially starting alongside Alexis Mac Allister in midfield. Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez will return from rest to start, while Victor Munoz partners Florian Weirz and Bradley Barcola—who recently scored a hat-trick—with Luis Kumas as the striker. Historically, the two teams have met 20 times with Liverpool winning 15, Brentford winning 5, and five draws; last season Liverpool failed to beat Brentford at home or away, drawing 1-1 at Anfield and losing 2-3 on the road.