Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders says Alexander Isak can beat Erling Haaland to the Premier League's Golden Boot this season, labeling him a "better all-round player"

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak has been tipped to beat Erling Haaland to the Premier League's Golden Boot this season — as long as he can remain largely injury-free.

Isak has missed the Reds' last Premier League game, against Manchester City, through injury, but only two players have scored more goals than him in the competition so far this season. One is Haaland and the other Chelsea forward Joao Pedro, who are on six and five goals respectively, compared to Isak's four.

"The Golden Boot all comes down to how many games Isak can play while he is fully fit because Haaland does not miss many of them," former Reds striker Dean Saunders told talkSPORT Bet.

"Haaland is a proper goalscorer, but I think as an overall footballer, Isak is the better all-round player. It’s just about how long he’s in the team consistently."

It remains to be seen whether or not Isak will feature for Liverpool at Brentford this weekend. Asked about the situation on Thursday, Reds boss Andoni Iraola remained coy.

"It's early for us to say [on Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai]," Iraola said in a press conference. "We have training tomorrow. They weren't ready last night [against LASK]. We have to wait and see. I leave the chance open..."

Isak missed the majority of his first season with Liverpool after arriving unfit from Newcastle. Once he got up to speed, he then broke his leg in the act of scoring against Tottenham.

Until the international break, however, he was looking sharp. And Iraola does not expect to be without the Swede for too long amid a hectic schedule.

After taking on Brentford, the Reds are set to host Villarreal and Brighton next week. They also face Chelsea, Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Crystal Palace before the next set of international games.

"It's more difficult," Iraola said when he was asked about facing Brentford off the back of a European away trip with such a short turnaround.

Get Liverpool's new 2026/27 home kit

Liverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign.

"We played yesterday night, came here late, and we didn't sleep how we normally sleep. But this is the challenge of playing. It is almost a constant this season, so we have to adapt.

"We have four days in between two games, not normal, but we have to adapt. We can rest some and give some minutes, so I expect everyone to be at their best mentally and physically. We have to be ready for a battle."