In the 5:30pm kick-off this Saturday, an in-form West Ham side travel to Anfield to face Premier League Champions, Liverpool.
West Ham with two wins and two draws in their last four league matches, will be looking to extend their run of positive performances. The Hammers have looked impressive and currently sit in 12th place, only three points away from the European spots.
Their opponents, Liverpool, haven’t lost since their shock 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa. Jurgen Klopp’s side are 2nd in the table, just a point behind city rivals Everton.
Team News
Liverpool will again be without long-term absentee, Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutch centre-back sustained a knee injury after a challenge from Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby on October 17th.
In Tuesday night’s Champions League match against FC Midtylland, Fabinho picked up a hamstring injury and will be unavailable on Saturday. Speaking to BBC Sport, Jurgen Klopp said:
“It’s exactly the last thing we needed.”
The fitness of Joel Matip remains unknown after picking up a knock, he may return for this game. Midfielder Thiago Alcantara, signed from Bayern Munich this summer, remains unavailable due to a knee injury.
West Ham may be without striker, Michail Antonio (hamstring). He was subbed off in the 52nd minute, in their 1-1 draw against Man City. This is believed to be the only injury in David Moyes’ squad.
Liverpool’s Defensive Options
With arguably the best defender in the world, Van Dijk, unavailable and the usual replacement, Matip, also spending time on the sidelines, Fabinho has been playing at centre-back alongside Joe Gomez.
Now, due to Fabinho’s injury, 19-year-old Rhys Williams, is expected to come in as he did off the bench on Tuesday. This will be the youngster’s Premier League debut. With many injuries in defence, it could be a weak area West Ham may look to exploit.
Opportunity for Haller?
If Antonio isn’t fit enough to play, Sebastien Haller may start in his place. The French striker has shown glimpses of talent in a claret and blue shirt but has struggled to fit in with West Ham’s style of play at times.
Since the change in formation to 3-4-3, the Hammers have been crossing the ball in more, which would suit Haller. However, if he does feature, a front three of Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals and Haller would potentially lack pace.
With the Hammers expected to play more on the counterattack than usual, it could be the correct time to give new signing Said Benrahma his debut.
Predicted Line Ups
Liverpool – Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, R. Williams, Gomez, Robertson, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Jota, Salah, Firmino, Mane
West Ham – Fabianski, Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Fornals, Haller
