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Brentford vs Liverpool preview: The Bees look to secure a result in their 100th Premier League appearance

Brentford will be taking on league leaders Liverpool, at the Gtech Community Stadium, on Saturday, in the Premier League. The Bees are set to make their 100th Premier League appearance against a Jurgen Klopp-led Liverpool in his culminating season at the club.

Manager Thomas Frank praised the Liverpool manager and his character that has been synonymous with his tenure in the Premier League. 

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Brentford manager Thomas Frank and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp embracing each other before kick-off in their previous fixture on November 12th

“I think Jurgen is a fantastic coach and a personality to be around,” Frank said. “In Dortmund, I was actually down there to visit him with the Danish federation and the youth national team coach. The first time I met Jurgen we were with five or six people. He sat there just talking for thirty minutes with us and asked all the questions. He was just full of energy as we know him now, but he took the time. I like that, that human touch.”

Brentford have received a massive boost ahead of the pivotal fixture. Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka have both returned to the squad following international duty for their respective countries, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, at the African Cup of Nations. 

Wissa helped lead DR Congo to a fourth place finish after a narrow defeat against South Africa in penalties during the third place match. Onyeka was at the heart of midfield for a Nigeria team that suffered a tense 2-1 loss against Ivory Coast in the final of the competition. 

Frank believes the pair’s return can provide additional energy and dynamism to the squad.

“They have been important and good for us,” Frank said. “It’s good to have them in training and they come back with energy. In many, many ways fantastic experiences reaching the semi-final and unfortunately they finished second and fourth.” 

Alongside the attacking reinforcements, Frank will be hoping for more of the same defensive habits from their previous match against Wolves. Brentford were able to record their first clean sheet since October in a 2-0 victory at Molineux Stadium last Saturday.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has been in excellent form over the last two matches and could potentially have a pivotal role in this upcoming fixture. Flekken made twelve saves and recorded an assist in a 3-1 defeat against Manchester City on February 5th and made five saves in the aforementioned match against Wolves. He became the first goalkeeper to assist a goal this season.

Frank believes Flekken’s form and performance level has been trending upward especially in the recent weeks.

“I think he has been looking good during the season with an upward curve in terms of performance and confidence,” Frank said. “No doubt the last two games meant a lot to him, to the team, and to everyone. I will say we scout all our players and we’ve seen a lot of good qualities in Mark. I think those were the two of the more complete games where you saw all his qualities. We tried to explain when there was a little bit of criticism about him. So, very pleased that he had that game.”

Brentford seek to put further distance between themselves and the relegation zone with a six-point gap in between themselves and 18th-placed Everton with a game in hand. Frank has gained recognition for the job he has done across his tenure at the club. He has even reportedly been linked with the Liverpool job. Frank is fully focused on the fixture ahead and Brentford at the current moment.

“I’m very ambitious,” Frank said. “I’ve been that my whole life. I think that’s why I got this job today. The most important part of my job is to maximize the players and my staff’s potential. I also want to maximize my own potential. I’m very happy here. I think there are a lot of things we can still achieve. What will happen in the future is impossible to guess about.”





Author

  • Jaden Dakwa

    I am a sports journalist and I have been writing about football since 2021. Sports, in general, have been a passion of mine since a young age. The Gunners in North London are definitely my favorite team, but I have overwhelming love for the sport of football as a whole. In that aspect of my life, not much has changed.

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