West Ham vs Liverpool Match Preview: Classic Encounter, Team News, Prediction & More

Liverpool visit the Olympic Stadium  to take on West Ham for only the second time, hoping to build on their last two victories over Huddersfield and Maribor respectively. 

The Reds have performed inconsistently so far this season, as they currently sit in sixth place, three points off the top four. Following a disappointing 4-1 defeat against Tottenham two weeks ago, the Reds have bounced back and will be aiming to replicate last season's 4-0 victory over the Hammers. 

Slaven Bilic has once again come under pressure following a string of poor performances, as his side have only recorded two wins so far this season. 

Victory against Jurgen Klopp's side may give the Hammers a chance to kick-start their season, but it will be a tough task stopping Liverpool's formidable attack. 

Classic Encounter 

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Back in 2013 when Liverpool were up there as title contenders, Luis Suarez & co took the Hammers apart at Anfield with a ruthless performance.

A brace from Suarez, one from Martin Skrtel and an own goal from Guy Demel sent the Reds second in the table, four points off Arsenal at the top. 

Kevin Nolan's red card summed up the evening for the Hammers, leaving them in a poor position early in the season as they were left just above the relegation zone. 

Form

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Both sides will see their opening 10 games as somewhat of a disappointment, and will look to this fixture as a platform to build on going forward. Klopp's side know they can perform better, but once again it is the defensive side of their game that continues to let them down. 

The German took underperforming Dejan Lovren off after his horror show half an hour performance against Spurs, and the Reds have gone on to keep two consecutive clean sheets since. 

West Ham fans are again calling for more from their team, especially considering the big money signings they made in the summer. Javier Hernandez has been a standout performer, but Marko Arnautovic has been poor following his arrival from Stoke.

Team News

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Liverpool will again be sweating over the fitness of Gini Wijnaldum after the Dutchman suffered yet another injury during his side's 3-0 victory over Maribor in midweek.

Dejan Lovren and Philippe Coutinho could come back into the side, but Klopp may opt for a similar side to the one he fielded in the Champions League. 

All of West Ham's injury concerns come from their defence, with Winston Reid, James Collins and Jose Fonte all out injured. The latter has a slight chance of playing, but whether Bilic will risk him against such a agile Liverpool frontline remains to be seen. 

Potential West Ham Starting Lineup: Hart, Ogbonna, Kouyate, Zabaleta, Anotnio, Cresswell, Noble, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Hernandez, Ayew

Potential Liverpool Starting Lineup: Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Klavan, Moreno, Henderson, Can, Milner, Salah, Sturridge, Firmino

Prediction

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Liverpool will be full of confidence after scoring six goals and keeping two consecutive clean sheets in their last two games.

Wijnaldum is out with an ankle injury, and Coutinho may also drop to the bench, but their fire power against a West Ham side full of injuries in defence will have Klopp thinking of more goals.

West Ham have conceded 19 goals already this season, and i'd expect that number to increase by at least two at the end of the game. 

West Ham 0 - 2 Liverpool 

Over the next few weeks I’ll be teaming up with social betting app BetBull to compete against fellow contributors here at 90min to see who can come out victorious on a number of accumulators. I’ll be predicting results from 4 Liverpool league games as well as matches from all over Europe, giving you my insights and opinions as to why I chose those games and results. 

Liverpool take on West Ham at the Olympic Stadium for only the second time having beaten them convincingly there last season. The Reds will be hoping their wins against Huddersfield and Maribor can spur them on, so I’m going for a Liverpool win.West Ham have endured a poor start to their season, and although Liverpool’s defence has been shaky, I don’t think the Hammers will have enough to get past them. West Ham 0-2 Liverpool. 

I have also gone for Napoli to overcome struggling Chievo, Borussia Monchengladbach to beat Mainz 05, Monaco to beat EA Guingamp and Valencia to continue their fine form against Leganes.

And don’t forget, download the BetBull app and follow me @Dan.90min to see if my accumulator brings home the money!