West Ham United vs Liverpool
Date: 31/01/2021
K/O: 16:30
Venue: London Stadium
Referee: Jonathan Moss
TV: Sky Sports
It is 4th against 5th on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool travel to West Ham looking to build on their first league win of 2021 last time out.
After defeating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on Thursday evening, it is the time of Spurs’ rivals, West Ham United, to take on the reigning Premier League champions. David Moyes’ side have been the surprise package this season and their outstanding run of form has put them well in the race for European places. When comparing the recent results of Liverpool and West Ham, you would not have expected the Irons to have won four on the bounce, while the champions have picked up just one win in their last six league games.
Full credit must go to Moyes who has silenced his critics with a series of strong displays this campaign. The Hammers have always had a strong enough squad in recent years to compete with some of England’s top clubs, but have too often been let down by bad patches of form and inconsistent performances. However, while they aren’t exactly setting the world alight with ground-breaking football, West Ham look a far more solid outfit this season and their league position reflects that. A positive result against Liverpool will be yet another sign of progress for the East Londoners.
Much has been made of Jurgen Klopp and his charges’ performances from the past six weeks. However, their win against Spurs showed glimpses that they are ready to return to the high standards we have become accustomed to. Without wanting to state the obvious, scoring the first goal and maintaining a lead over their opposition was critical to their success on Thursday night. Spurs had to come out of their defensive shape and be more daring in possession, which allowed Liverpool to capitalise on the space in behind and the erroneous passes. If the Reds can strike early on Sunday, this will change West Ham’s set-up, leaving the hosts more prone to the counter-attacks which Liverpool have deployed to devastating effect in years gone by.
Diogo Jota scored the winning goal in this fixture earlier in the season in a 2-1 victory for the Merseysiders. It marked eight consecutive winless games for the Hammers against Liverpool, with seven of those matches ending in defeat. Can Moyes turn around West Ham’s fortunes?
Team News
West Ham
There are no fresh injury concerns for Moyes ahead of Sunday’s game. He has found a winning formula with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the pivot of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek proving to be one of the league’s top midfield partnerships. Jesse Lingard’s loan move from Manchester United was announced on Friday, but the Englishman is unlikely to start.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis was worsened in the week as Joel Matip injured his ankle ligaments. The extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed, but he will be missing for the next few games at least. With no fit senior centre-halves, Klopp will have to choose from Jordan Henderson, Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips to deal with the threat of Michail Antonio.
It is thought Liverpool are trying to bring in a centre-back before the transfer window closes, but with time of the essence, budget and player availability all major issues, this could prove to be problematic. In midfield, Thiago and Gini Wijnaldum seem to be the mainstays, while James Milner performed admirably at Spurs at the ripe age of 35 years. Should Milner be rested, Curtis Jones is the most likely to come in.
Predicted Starting XIs
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Phillips, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Score Prediction: West Ham 2-2 Liverpool
With Liverpool’s defensive issues, Michail Antonio will be licking his lips at the thought of coming up against an inexperienced centre-back partnership. Neither Phillips nor Williams possess any pace, and Antonio will look to take advantage of that. However, Liverpool have too much quality going forward to be dismissed, so I am expecting a high scoring game in this one.
