Liverpool could be missing several key players for the match against Brentford this weekend, as Andoni Iraola is left waiting to see if some stars could return to action beforehand

Another tough challenge awaits in the Premier League for Liverpool, as Andoni Iraola takes his team to London for the challenge of Brentford on Saturday.

The Bees sit fourth in the table, five places above the Reds, but with just one point separating the two teams, underlining just how condensed the league is at the moment.

A win could catapult Liverpool further up the division and give the side a launching point from which some momentum could be built for the weeks and months ahead in this campaign.

Brentford won't make it easy, however, having proven to be a well-coached side under the guidance of head coach Keith Andrews over the past year.

That challenge is made all the tougher by the general lack of squad depth available to Iraola, with the manager facing a scenario where up to seven key players could be missing after featuring in the Champions League only days ago.

Starting off with three stars who are doubts, there are concerns over the availability of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak, and Cody Gakpo.

The trio has been unavailable since the international break, with the midfielder being out due to a tight hamstring he suffered upon his return, while the two forwards had to withdraw during the break due to injuries they picked up during the three-week spell.

Iraola has refused to rule out all three players from featuring, however, giving some hope that they could be in the squad on Saturday. "It's [too] early for us to say, we have training tomorrow," Iraola told the press about the stars. "Obviously, they were not ready for [Wednesday] night, so we have to wait and see... I think it is really early, but I will leave the chance open."

While there could be a possible return for all three players, there definitely won't be an appearance for Ryan Gravenberch on the cards. The midfielder is unavailable after he picked up a red card against Manchester City, meaning he will serve a suspension during the game against Brentford.

In terms of other injuries, however, there are another three long-term concerns that the team will need to manage in the coming months of the season.

Giovanni Leoni was scheduled to return to training during the recent international break, but he has suffered a setback from a serious knee injury. "It’s taking more time than we wanted," Iraola admitted before the match with Brentford. "The plan was to train with the team in this past international break [but] probably it’s going to be in the next [one], so we’ve lost one month in the process.

"He has to be very confident; the rehab process has to be very careful with him, and we want to make sure once he comes to the team, he stays in a good place."

Then there is the duo of Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike. Both stars are expected to be back and available before the turn of the new year, if things all go to plan, with the former likely to be the first to return.

It remains to be seen how Iraola will deal with the current selection issues, should all seven players be ruled out, as he looks to build some momentum in the league.