After a mediocre 2014-15 season, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will consider himself lucky to still be in charge of the club this season. The transfer activity in this window showed what the team lacked last year and with only three games into the season, Liverpool looks a better team than in the previous season. They started positively this season and a win in this game against West Ham will give the Kop their best ever start to a Premier League season.
West Ham started the season with a bang after beating the Gunners at the Emirates on an opening day. But since, they were not able to recreate that performance and have failed to get another point on the board. Slaven Bilic will hope that the occasion brings the best out of the team and that he can come out of the game with at least a point. This article is a preview of the game between Liverpool and West Ham and also includes some predictions and Team news.
The Liverpool vs West Ham game will be played on Saturday the 29th of August at Anfield. The kickoff is scheduled at 3:00 pm BST (7:30 pm IST).
Team News
Brendan Rodgers will miss the services of the newly appointed captain Jordan Henderson who missed the Arsenal game as well along with Adam Lallana. Both the players are unlikely to recover in time for the clash at Anfield. Jon Flannagan and Joe Allen and striker Daniel Sturridge are also in the injured list and will miss the West Ham game.
West Ham have a good news as striker Diafra Sakho will be available for selection following a groin problem. Carl Jenkinson and Goalkeeper Adrian miss the game due to suspensions. It will be good to see how the Hammers play in the absence of Kevin Nolan who was released.
Rodger’s men played their best bit of football in the 3 matches of the new season in the first half at the Emirates. Benteke, Coutinho and Firmino played some beautiful football. The energy of James Milner in the middle of the park made sure that Arsenal had a tough time creating chances. Lovren and Skrtel were put under a bit of pressure in the second half, but a 0-0 draw is something Liverpool would have taken at the kick-off.
Reid and Ogbonna looked a bit shaky at the back for West Ham in the last game and Benteke will pose a serious threat if the team plays the same brand of football they did at the Emirates. Payment will be effective though in attack as he looks to play in the pockets of space just in front of the back line. This can cause a bit of trouble defensively and as Rodgers stated earlier, West Ham may just be the biggest test for the club so far this season.
Expected Line-ups:
Liverpool:
Simon Mignolet, Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Gomez, Lucas, Can, Milner, Coutinho, Benteke, Firmino.
West Ham:
Randolph, Tomkins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Noble, Obiang, Kouyate, Payet, Jarvis, Sakho.
Predictions:
Though West Ham played some good football in the first game against Arsenal, it has slowly faded away and the team seems in need of inspiration. The atmosphere of Anfield will provide plenty of it, but the men in Red may just silently move away with all three points from Anfield.
Our Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 West Ham