WEST HAM VS LIVERPOOL: PREVIEW

Liverpool travel to London on Sunday to take on high flying West Ham United. After dropping two points against Brighton last weekend, the Reds can ill afford another slip up. Table topping Chelsea, are already three points clear of Jürgen Klopp’s men and could stretch that lead to six by the time this game kicks off. West Ham come into this encounter fourth on the league table, just two points behind Liverpool.

David Moyes has done an absolutely incredible job with West Ham. He came in halfway through the 2017/18 season and saved them from relegation, before returning to the club to repeat the trick in 2019/20. It was last season however, where things really stepped up. They finished sixth in the league, crowning an impressive campaign with Europa League qualification.

They’ve breezed through their Europa League group so far, winning three games before drawing their fourth game in the group stages to top the standings. That draw came last night away to Genk, in what marked David Moyes’ 1,000th game as manager, a truly amazing feat. He’s got them playing some lovely stuff and they will pose a huge challenge on Sunday.

Liverpool managed to best West Ham home and away last season, winning the home fixture 2-1 before securing a 3-1 win at the London stadium. Both games were tight for long periods, with Jota’s late winner at Anfield, sealing a comeback win after Pablo Fornals had given the Hammers the lead. The 3-1 win came with no fans in attendance, a full house this time should make it a colourful occasion.

Liverpool are currently on the longest unbeaten run in the club’s history since they joined the Football League, going 25 matches unbeaten in all competitions. They are topscorers in the league this season and also have the best away record. West Ham are in decent nick themselves, having beaten Spurs and Villa in their last two league games, whilst knocking Manchester City out of the EFL Cup.

Team News

For West Ham, Andriy Yarmolenko and Nikola Vlasic will be assessed ahead of the game, everyone else is fit and available. For Liverpool, Harvey Elliott (ankle), James Milner, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino (hamstring), Curtis Jones (eye) and Joe Gomez (calf) are all out. Fabinho and Thiago returned to action against Atletico Madrid in midweek and should be involved again on Sunday.

Key Players

Michail Antonio

The 31 year old has had a phenomenal start to the season, netting 7 goals already and laying on 4 assists in his 12 appearances across all competitions. He was aptly named Premier League Player of the month for August, as his combination of pace and brute strength gave defences endless problems. Already on 6 league goals, he’s on course to eclipse the 10 he managed last season.

Mohamed Salah

Salah is the leading goalscorer in the Premier League this season with 10 goals. He scored a brace in this fixture last season and is in even more blistering form this campaign. He’s scored 15 goals and provided 6 assists in just 14 matches, as he lays claim to being the best player in the world. He comes into this clash without a goal in his last two outings, expect him to be bent on ending that ‘drought’.

Said Benrahma

The Algerian struggled last season after his big money move from Brentford. He enjoyed a strong pre-season over the summer and has started the season in sizzling fashion. Playing just off Antonio, he’s enjoying almost a free role in this confident West Ham side. He’s scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists in 14 appearances, netting a classy brace against Genk last time out.