Liverpool will take on West Ham United on Wednesday at Anfield, looking to build on their recent win over Manchester City.
The win over Manchester City on Sunday took Liverpool up to eighth in the Premier League table, and they will be hoping to close in on the top four with another impressive result against the West Ham United.
Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have made a disappointing start to the season by their standards. But they have shown signs of recovery in recent weeks. The 7-1 win over Rangers in the Champions League, and the 1-0 victory against Manchester City will have given them some much-needed confidence boost. And it will be interesting to see if the home side can build on that in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, West Ham are capable of beating any team on their day, and the Hammers will fancy their chances against an inconsistent Liverpool side this week.
West Ham are currently 12th in the league table, but they are unbeaten in their last three top-flight matches, with two victories and a draw under their belt. It remains to be seen whether they can pull off an upset at Anfield during the midweek. The Hard Tackle now takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
We’re LIVE as Jürgen Klopp previews Wednesday’s @PremierLeague meeting with West Ham 🗣#LIVWHU https://t.co/H0tW9PMM82
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 18, 2022
Liverpool will be without the services of Joel Matip, Naby Keita, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota due to injuries. Ibrahima Konate missed the game against Manchester City with a knock, and it remains to be seen whether the Frenchman can recover in time for the West Ham United clash.
Meanwhile Jota had to be stretchered off against Manchester City, and the Portuguese international will miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Alisson Becker is set to continue in goal after an outstanding performance against Manchester City, where he assisted the match-winning goal for Mohamed Salah. As for the defence, Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to return to the starting lineup after dropping to the bench against Manchester City.
Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk were excellent at the weekend, and they are set to continue at the heart of Liverpool’s defence. Andrew Robertson is also likely to retain his place as the left-back. Jurgen Klopp is expected to persist with the 4-4-2 set up which has yielded important results in recent weeks.
While Harvey Elliott is set to continue as the right-sided winger, Thiago Alcantara will partner Fabinho at the heart of the midfield. The Brazilian midfielder did well to break up the play and win the ball back for his side against Manchester City. And he will be tasked with a similar job against the Hammers.
Thiago has been Liverpool’s prime source of creativity in the midfield, and the Spanish international will be expected to break the lines and create chances for his teammates. In the absence of Jota, youngster Fabio Carvalho could start as left-sided winger.
The youngster made a lively cameo against Manchester City and will hope to make his mark against West Ham. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez have performed at a high level in recent weeks, and the two are set to lead the line for the hosts.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Thiago, Fabinho, Carvalho; Salah, Nunez
West Ham United
West Ham United will likely be boosted by the return of defender Kurt Zouma. The Frenchman missed out with illness last time out and he could return here. Meanwhile Craig Dawson was taken off as precaution last week, and the experienced defender could return to the squad here. But Nayef Aguerd remains unavailable, although he is closing in on his comeback.
West Ham will line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Lukasz Fabianski starting in goal. In the back three, Ben Johnson is expected to partner Aaron Cresswell and summer signing Thilo Kehrer. Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will start as the wing-backs, and they will be expected to support the centre-backs and provide some width going forward.
🗣️ “I think he’ll definitely feature before the World Cup.”
West Ham manager David Moyes says summer signing Nayef Aguerd is back training on grass following injury. 💪 pic.twitter.com/YVvvmcY4Xl
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 18, 2022
The central midfield pairing will pretty much pick itself, with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek partnering each other. Rice will be expected to break up the play and set up transitions for his side on the counter. Meanwhile, Soucek will add some physical presence in the middle of the park and support the attackers with his runs into the box.
Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen will be the main source of creativity for the Hammers. The duo will operate in the half spaces and drop back into the midfield to add more bodies while defending. Michail Antonio is set to lead the line for West Ham, and he will hope to hurt Liverpool on the counter with his pace.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Fabianski; Johnson, Kehrer, Cresswell; Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Emerson; Bowen, Antonio, Paqueta
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won their last five home matches against West Ham United in all competitions.
- West Ham United are unbeaten in the last five matches across all competitions.
- Four of the last five meetings between Liverpool and West Ham have seen both teams get on the scoresheet.
- 20 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between Liverpool and West Ham United.
- Liverpool have scored 15 goals in the last five matches across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Darwin Nunez
Darwin Nunez started on the bench against Manchester City after an impressive performance against Rangers. The Uruguayan international came on as a substitute and caused problems for the visitors with his directness and pace.
His physicality could be an asset against West Ham United, and he will look to make his mark and get on the scoresheet here. Nunez has not been able to hit top form since joining Liverpool, and he will be hungry to prove himself this week.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 West Ham United
Liverpool have gained some confidence and momentum in their recent outings, and they will be the favourites here despite the number of injuries they have. West Ham United come into this game on the back of three unbeaten outings in the Premier League, and they will be reasonably confident of grinding out a good result. However the home side have the quality to come out on top in a tight affair.
