Koumas backs 'unbelievable' Barcola after Liverpool Champions League hat-trick

Bradley Barcola announced himself as a Liverpool player in the most emphatic fashion possible, scoring a hat-trick in the Reds' 6-3 Champions League win over LASK on Wednesday night — and team-mate Lewis Koumas has no doubts the Frenchman will be a resounding success at Anfield.

Liverpool's Lewis Koumas and Bradley Barcola

Barcola's treble in Austria made him the first Liverpool player since Mohamed Salah in 2022 to score three times in an away Champions League match. Ronald Araujo and Jeremie Frimpong were also on target, while Koumas eventually got himself on the scoresheet after seeing two earlier efforts ruled out for offside.

'He's unbelievable'

Koumas, however, was full of praise for Barcola, insisting the former Paris Saint-Germain forward still has plenty more to offer in a Liverpool shirt this season.

"I think it's been really hard for him. Not in terms of on the pitch, because we all know how good he is, but, moving country and trying to settle in fast is tough.

"I found it tough on loan, so changing countries must be something else, so I'm just really happy that he showed how good he is, and I just hope he carries on doing it now.

"He's unbelievable. He's an unbelievable talent, and I'm sure he'll be unbelievable for Liverpool."

The Wales international was not just a cheerleader, though. His own display saw him become the youngest player to score and assist in a Champions League match for Liverpool, at 21 years and 25 days, breaking the previous record held by Steven Gerrard.

Brentford test awaits

Barcola will be hoping to translate his midweek form into the Premier League this Saturday when Liverpool travel to face a Brentford side that have made yet another strong start to the campaign. The Bees sit fourth in the table after playing out a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa last time out, with Kristoffer Ajer the unlikely hero courtesy of a 79th-minute equaliser.

Since their promotion to the top flight in 2021, Brentford have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League (102). They have already surrendered eight points from ahead this season, with only Bournemouth (nine) letting more slip.

Nevertheless, head coach Keith Andrews said his team have taken confidence from their encouraging start, with eight points separating them and leaders Manchester City.

"We do. We've started well, and we're content with a lot of aspects of what we're doing and how. We want to keep pushing hard, and we are disappointed we could've played a bit better and maybe the result was there for us if we'd tidied up a few aspects of our game. Then it would have been a really good start to the season."

Brentford could be without Kevin Schade against Liverpool, after the German picked up a shoulder issue and was replaced by Mamadou Sangare in the 52nd minute against Villa.

"He probably wasn't right at half-time, he wanted to give it a go. He's picked up a shoulder injury so we'll see how he is in the next few days."

Players to watch

Brentford – Igor Thiago: It's been a difficult start to the season for Thiago, who is underperforming his expected goals more than any other player in the Premier League, scoring once from an xG of 3.2. The Brazilian did, however, score a penalty in Brentford's win over Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium last term, and will be eager to repeat the feat.

Liverpool – Bradley Barcola: After failing to score in his first six Liverpool games in all competitions, Barcola announced himself with a hat-trick in midweek. On what was the 238th game of his senior career (club and country combined), Barcola netted his first treble — one he will hope can kickstart his Premier League campaign.

Form and prediction

Brentford were unbeaten in their two Premier League games against Liverpool last season (W1 D1), last going longer without defeat against the Reds in the league between April 1936 and November 1937 (four). Andrews' side are also unbeaten in their six Premier League games this season (W2 D4), their best run from the start of a league campaign since 2006-07 in League One (first seven).

Overall, the Bees are unbeaten in eight top-flight games, the longest current run of any side (W2 D6). Brentford (fourth) are facing Liverpool (ninth) while above them in the league table for the first time since March 1938, when the 20th-placed Reds beat the sixth-placed Bees 3-1 at Griffin Park.

Liverpool, though, have won their last two away Premier League games, keeping a clean sheet in both. The Reds last had a longer away winning run between August and October 2024 (four), while they haven't kept three away clean sheets in a row since March 2022. Their first Premier League defeat of the season came last time out against Manchester City, a 3-0 loss that also ended manager Andoni Iraola's 23-game unbeaten run in the competition.

The five Premier League meetings between Brentford and Liverpool at the Gtech have produced 22 goals at an average of 4.4 per game, with both sides scoring in four of those five fixtures.

Opta win probability: Brentford 37.9%, Draw 26.4%, Liverpool 35.7%.