West Ham United will host Liverpool in the Premier League matchday 35 at London Stadium on Saturday, April 27, at 12:30 WAT.
The Hammers will be hoping to return to winning ways having lost their previous two top-flight games against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Liverpool will also endeavor to rejuvenate their Premier League title hopes following their disappointing derby result in midweek against Everton.
Preview
After Arsenal thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday night, April 23, the pressure landed on Liverpool to respond with a positive result against Everton to confirm that they remain in the title race only for the Reds to stumble at Goodison Park.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s men were deservedly beaten 2-0 on Wednesday, April 24, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting either side of halftime to condemn the Reds to their second league defeat in three matches, denting their title hopes in the process.
With four matches left to play, Liverpool sits third in the Premier League standings and three points behind leaders Arsenal, while defending champions Man City in second after their crucial win against Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday, April 25.
West Ham, on the other hand, find themselves down in the dumps following a poor run of form that has derailed their season, winning just one of their previous seven Premier League matches.
Since coming from behind to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux Stadium, the Hammers have suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Fulham and Crystal Palace.
David Moyes’ men head into Saturday’s clash having won only one of their last eight league games at home, beating Brentford 4-2 in February, and after losing 2-0 to Fulham in their most recent match at the London Stadium.
The Conference League champions will be seeking to avoid suffering consecutive home losses for the first time since November/December 2022.
However, victory against Liverpool could prove challenging as West Ham have been beaten 12 times in their previous 14 Premier League meetings with the Reds, losing each of their last five since a 3-2 home triumph in November 2021.
West Ham United vs Liverpool Team News
The Hammers will hope to have striker Jarrod Bowen available for selection after he was forced to miss last weekend’s loss against Palace with a back problem. Nayef Aguerd and Konstantinos Mavropanos (both ankle) will also be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Alphonse Areola has recovered from a groin injury and he is expected to take the place of Lukasz Fabianski between the sticks on Saturday.
Both Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell will be hoping to force their way into the first XI, as will midfielder Kalvin Phillips. However, Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez will likely keep their places just behind James Ward-Prowse, while Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus are set to provide support for Michail Antonio up front.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are facing several injury issues, Diogo Jota (hip), Conor Bradley (foot), Thiago Alcantara (muscle), Joel Matip, and Ben Doak (both knee) all remain sidelined as they continue to recover from injuries.
Cody Gakpo missed the midweek defeat at Everton, and it remains to be seen whether the Dutchman will be available to feature on Saturday.
West Ham United vs Liverpool possible lineups
West Ham;
Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta; Antonio
Liverpool;
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
West Ham vs Liverpool Kickoff time, date, and venue
West Ham vs Liverpool is scheduled for a 12:30 WAT kick-off on Saturday, April 27, 2024. The match will take place at the London Stadium.
Prediction
Victory is important for both of these out-of-form sides as they attempt to strengthen their hopes of achieving their respective targets this season, but it will be Liverpool who enter Saturday’s battle as favorites considering their recent record over West Ham United.
Therefore, we predict that Liverpool will secure all three points at London Stadium on Saturday, lunchtime with a 3-1 scoreline.
