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3 Liverpool players who should definitely start vs Brentford as Arne Slot faces fresh dilemma

Liverpool might have brought an end to its losing streak by hammering a wide-open Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League but a Premier League game with Brentford will provide a very different test.

Just how back is Liverpool? Arne Slot will hope that the tweaks he made to his system can pay off again, that Alexander Isak's injury is not too bad, and that Florian Wirtz can take confidence from his two assists, but it will take more than one game to fully convince everyone that things have been turned around.

It says something about the quality and standard of the Premier League that a trip to Brentford is, on paper, at least as challenging as a Champions League clash away in Frankfurt, but Liverpool needs to prove its rampant victory on Wednesday wasn't a one-off.

While the Isak injury and potential return of Ryan Gravenberch mean that Liverpool almost certainly won't line up in exactly the same way as it did in Germany, several of those who came into the starting XI should retain their places.

Andy Robertson, for instance, was very good on his return to the team. More content with sitting back and defending than Milos Kerkez, his inclusion helped the balance of the side.

That is not to say either that Robertson is the perfect left-back solution, nor that Kerkez will not be a long-term success at Anfield. For now, though, the Scotland captain is the best option.

Curtis Jones celebrates during Liverpool's win over Eintracht Frankfurt

Curtis Jones celebrates during Liverpool's win over Eintracht Frankfurt (Image: Getty Images)

In midfield, Curtis Jones starred for Liverpool alongside Dominik Szoboszlai. If Gravenberch is back and fit enough to start, that will complicate things, but taking either of the midfield duo that started in Frankfurt out would be a major surprise.

Jones was superb at the heart of the midfield and has been in good form this season. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, has been the Reds' best player in the opening weeks of the new campaign.

Finally, in attack, even if Isak is passed fit to be involved, Hugo Ekitike's name simply has to be on the teamsheet as a starter. The Frenchman, like Szoboszlai, has been a strong performer when he has been involved.

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After he scored and took his goal well against his old side a few days ago, Ekitike should get the chance to lead the line again. Even if Isak is not injured, he is well ahead of the Swede in terms of match sharpness.

Those three players — Robertson, Jones and Ekitike — should be nailed-on starters for Slot. The only potential complication is what happens if Gravenberch comes back, and the Jones-Szoboszlai axis could be split up.

Not quite so straightforward, though, is the decision over Mohamed Salah. In a rare period in which he is not firing, it still seems likely that he will be in the team — but it speaks volumes for his poor form that it is not a given.

In some ways, Isak potentially missing out could offer the ideal pathway for Salah to return, moving Wirtz inside to the number 10 berth. The Egyptian, however, will need to produce a big performance if he is to feature from the off.

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