Liverpool welcome West Ham to Anfield in a mid-table Premier League clash.
Victory could see Jurgen Klopp’s Reds climb as high as fifth depending on results elsewhere, whilst West Ham can leapfrog Liverpool with a win and possibly enter the top ten.
Team News
Diogo Jota is ruled out for Liverpool after he suffered a foot injury in Sunday’s win over Manchester City.
Ibrahima Konate (muscle) is a doubt but Joel Matip (calf), Luis Diaz (knee), Arthur Melo (muscle), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Naby Keita (unspecified) remain absent.
West Ham could name Michail Antonio and Angelo Ogbonna in the starting line-up, after the pair overcame illness and a hamstring injury respectively to make the bench in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Kurt Zouma was absent at St Mary’s Stadium due to illness but could be available, as could Craig Dawson (leg) but Maxwel Cornet (calf) and Nayef Aguerd (ankle) remain absent.
Stat Attack
- Liverpool have lost just one of their last 12 league meetings against West Ham (W9, D2, L1).
- West Ham have claimed just one point in their last six league visits to Anfield (D1, L5).
- Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are chasing a sixth consecutive league win at home against West Ham for the first time since a seven-match streak between October 1999 – March 2008.
- Liverpool’s Alisson is the only non-English goalkeeper to provide an assist this season, having produced the long ball which led to Mohamed Salah’s winner against Man City on Sunday.
- Said Benrahma has been utilised as a substitute in more league games this season than any other West Ham player, having made five of his eight league appearances from the bench.
Prediction
Having scraped a clinical win over Man City on Sunday in a game where they were bravely aggressive on attack and defensively solid to limit Erling Haaland, Liverpool certainly can come into this game full of confidence despite often lacking end product which needs tidying up.
West Ham meanwhile weren’t much better in their own finishing touch at Southampton because they were incredibly wasteful despite their varied shots and strong build-up play, so I would like to see a more calmer but still aggressive attacking effort from the Hammers here.
Anfield though has been a hoodoo away ground for West Ham so unless they can get the first goal or are capable of executing a counter-attacking style with clinical finishing, I just feel like they won’t be able to get a result here.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham
Result: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham
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