After a fortnight’s break, West Ham United will return to Premier League action when they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side dismantled the Hammers 4-1 at the London Stadium earlier in the season- a result that cost Slaven Bilic his job. Current boss David Moyes is in no such danger, but points at Anfield will certainly help the visitors take a step closer to survival, which was his task when he took over the reins from the Croat in November.
The Hammers ended a four game winless streak across all competitions with their 2-0 win over Javi Gracia’s Watford a fortnight ago. Moyes threw Marko Arnautovic straight into action against the Hornets, and the Austrian showed the attacking edge that the Hammers had been missing during his injury enforced absence. Manuel Lanzini could also make a surprise return from the treatment room this weekend and Moyes has to decide whether he needs to risk the Argentine like he did with Arnautovic.
Against Watford, Aaron Cresswell was restored to his spot as part of a flat back three, with Michail Antonio starting at left wing back in place of the suspended Arthur Masuaku. West Ham are expected to play a solid, defence oriented game to stunt Liverpool’s dangerous trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, and that could see Javier Hernandez being sacrificed upfront.
Both Liverpool and West Ham didn’t feature in the FA Cup last weekend, but the Reds were in competitive action in the Champions League, where they absolutely flattened Portuguese giants Porto 5-0 in Lisbon. Salah continued his stunning form for the Reds, with Firmino and Mane also contributing. Mane’s Senegalese team mate, West Ham medio Cheikhou Kouyate, has said that he will do his best to stop compatriot, and that he believes the Hammers can emerge with points from Anfield.
West Ham don’t have to look too far for inspiration- they’re unbeaten in their last three visits to Anfield, including a 3-0 win in the 15/16 season. The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-2 draw, with Payet and Antonio scoring for WHUFC, and Lallana and Origi on target for Liverpool. A look at Footy Accumulators, one of our go-to sites for tips, shows that the Hammers are at 14/1 to win this weekend, and 13/2 to come away with a point.
As for Jurgen Klopp’s side, a win could see them temporarily go second in the league, with Manchester United hosting a blockbuster clash against Chelsea on Sunday. If results don’t go their way though, they could slip to fifth at the end of Match Day 28.
The man with the whistle for this clash in Stuart Attwell. In the ten Premier League games he’s reffed this season, the visiting side has won only once- Palace away at Southampton in January. None of those games have seen more than three goals being scored.
Attwell was the ref when West Ham drew 1-1 with Burnley earlier in the season, and also presided over Liverpool’s loss to Leicester in the League Cup back in September.
Liverpool v West Ham United at Anfield on 24 February, 2018 (Saturday) at 3pm.
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