Liverpool travel to London for their next Premier League clash against West Ham on Wednesday night.
The Reds are coming into this game on the back of a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest and they will look to build on that and put together a winning run now.
Champions League qualification is still a possibility for Liverpool and they cannot afford to slip up right now. This is a must-win game for Jurgen Klopp’s men and it remains to be seen whether they can step up and get the job done.
As for West Ham, they have been quite impressive in the last five outings picking up comprehensive wins over Gent and Bournemouth. They managed to hold Arsenal to a draw at home earlier this month and the Hammers will look to get something out of this contest as well.
Judging by their recent form, it is clear that Liverpool faces a difficult challenge tomorrow and they will have to be at their best in order to grind out all three points.
West Ham are now up to 13th in the league table and they will be hoping to close in on the top half with a positive result here.
David Moyes is speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow's game against Liverpool 🗣
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 25, 2023
Team News and Tactics
West Ham
Gianluca Scamacca is ruled out following his surgery and he is unlikely to play again this season. The Italian is the only injury worry for West Ham this week.
David Moyes is likely to field his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell will continue as the full-backs and they will be expected to keep the back four compact while defending and help out during counter-attacks.
Kurt Zouma will start in the central defence with Nayef Aguerd.
The midfield pivot pretty much picks itself with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek protecting the central defenders and breaking up the opposition attacks.
Jarrod Bowen will start on the right wing with Pablo Fornals on the left. They will look to add goals, creativity and vision in the final third.
Lucas Paqueta will be deployed in the number ten role and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. He is expected to drop deep and help with the playmaking as well.
Michail Antonio will lead the line for the hosts.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Fornals; Antonio
Liverpool
Calvin Ramsay and Stefan Bajcetic are unlikely to play again this season.
Naby Keita has returned to training and it will be interesting to see if he features against the Hammers.
Roberto Firmino is ruled out for a few matches.
Jurgen Klopp will field his side in their usual 4-3-3 with Alisson Becker in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will retain their place in the starting eleven on the back of some impressive attacking displays. They will need to help Liverpool create goalscoring chances here. Both players will have to be careful defensively against the likes of Bowen and Fornals.
Ibrahima Konate will start in central defence with Virgil van Dijk.
Fabinho will anchor the midfield and look to break up the opposition attack. Thiago Alcantara will look to control the tempo of the game and recycle possession beside him. Curtis Jones will add creativity and drive to the side.
Darwin Nunez could be handed a start here with Diogo Jota leading the line after scoring four goals in his last two games. Mohamed Salah will start on the right.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Jones; Salah, Jota, Nunez
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won 6 of their last 7 matches against West Ham in all competitions.
- Liverpool have scored at least 2 goals in 5 of their last 6 away matches against West Ham in all competitions.
- 19 goals have been scored in the last 6 matches between these two sides.
- West Ham are unbeaten in 5 of their last 6 league matches.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in 5 of their last 6 away matches against West Ham in the league.
Diogo Jota
Consecutive doubles from @DiogoJota18 had the boss hailing his qualities ahead of #WHULIV 🔝
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 25, 2023
The Portuguese forward has had a disappointing season overall but he has managed to get over his goal drought in recent weeks.
Jota has scored four goals in his last two premier league games and he is our main to watch out for.
The 26-year-old seems to have regained his sharpness and Liverpool will need him in top form in order to break down the West Ham defence.
Jota will not only score goals for the side, but he is also capable of unlocking defences with his link-up play, movement and passing as well. He will add an aerial presence to the side as well.
Prediction
West Ham 1-1 Liverpool
Both teams are in good form right now and they will be desperate to grind out all three points here. They are in need of wins for very different reasons and neither team will want to end up on the losing side.
This is likely to be a close encounter and the two teams are likely to cancel each other out.
The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two teams
