Liverpool FC team news vs. Brentford – Injuries and available squad

January 18, 2025
Joanna Durkan

Liverpool travel to Brentford on Saturday knowing one player is sidelined with injury while another two are in doubt for the Premier League fixture.

Just as the Reds had started to see their injury woes ease, the aftermath of the draw at Nottingham Forest has seen doubt cast over a couple of forwards.

Arne Slot will at least hope to be able to call on one of them for the 3pm kickoff, with three points at the top of the agenda after picking up two points across the last two outings.

Here is who is ruled out against Brentford, and who could miss out:

Darwin Nunez (suspension) – available
Diogo Jota (unknown) – doubt
Luis Diaz (illness) – doubt
Joe Gomez (hamstring) – out

The big news to emerge on Friday was that Jota is once again doubtful for Liverpool, with another fitness setback after his all-important goal in midweek.

On Thursday, he trained separately from the group and Slot would reveal on Friday that he’s “not sure that he will be available” for the trip to London.

On the nature of the issue, Slot explained: “He felt a little bit when he came in, a little niggle, during the half-hour he came in. He could finish the game but after he complained about it.

“It will be a struggle to have him on the pitch maybe on Saturday, but we’re hoping to see him on the pitch in the near future again.”

Not particularly optimistic words.

Diaz, meanwhile, was also not involved in Thursday’s session due to a sore throat, but Slot was more hopeful the Colombian would be available.

He said: “I assume he will be training with us today [Friday]. But I still have to hear this, but we are expecting him to train with us today.”

If Diaz is not fit to start, we can expect to see Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez as the front three, with the latter back from suspension.

As for any other changes to the XI, Kostas Tsimikas could be recalled in place of Andy Robertson after another tumultuous outing at Forest.

There was no new update on Gomez‘s comeback from a hamstring injury, but he remains unavailable for the foreseeable.