Premier League: Revitalised Reds Look for Remain in the Ascendancy

Liverpool vs West Ham United

Could this finally be it? After a disappointing start to their season, are Liverpool finally getting their act together? Back-to-back victories over Rangers in the Champions League and against Premier League champions Manchester City over the weekend have seemingly revitalised the Reds’ flagging campaign.

And now, Liverpool will be looking to win three straight games for the first time all season as they welcome West Ham United to Anfield.

The Hammers have similarly had a slow start, but they are on a good run of late and will be keen to extend their current unbeaten run at Anfield.

Talking Points

Salah consistently scoring goals again

Liverpool have had a long list of problems to start the season. The defence has been unusually porous and the midfield has suddenly looked disjointed, which is why their Premier League 2022 odds of reclaiming the title are so high.

Meanwhile, top marksman Mohamed Salah was not scoring at the same rate. Last season’s Premier League co-Golden Boot winner had been in a bit of a funk as he went a stretch of five league games without a goal heading into the big Premier League match against Manchester City.

But Salah had at least been scoring consistently in the Champions League. He’s got five goals in the competition, including a sensational six-minute hat-trick after coming off the bench against Rangers.

And Salah carried over that form into the weekend clash against City as he capitalised on a crucial Joao Cancelo error to score the decisive goal in Liverpool’s 1-0 win.

Jurgen Klopp once again played with the adventurous 4-2-3-1 formation he used in the 3-2 defeat against Arsenal. But he shifted Salah to the centre as opposed to his usual spot on the right, with Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, and Harvey Elliott in behind.

That tactical tweak was likely meant to catch Man City on the break, so Klopp may opt to switch Salah back to the right against West Ham.

Liverpool were without centre-backs Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate against City, so Joe Gomez filled in at centre-back, with James Milner playing at right-back.

Gomez and Milner both played quite well, but while Gomez may be called upon to start again in midweek, Milner is likely to make way for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who came on as a last-minute substitute.

Hammers returning to form

Similar to Liverpool, West Ham’s Premier League 2022 results are improving after a rough start to the season. The Hammers have gone unbeaten in five games in all competitions since returning from the international break, although their four-game winning streak was snapped as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton over the weekend.

David Moyes had to deal with the absence of starting centre-backs Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson, who are both doubts to play against Liverpool in midweek. Big-money summer signing Nayef Aguerd is still working his way back from an ankle injury while Angelo Ogbonna is dealing with a hamstring injury, leaving Moyes woefully short on defensive options.

Moyes played a back three of Ben Johnson, Thilo Kehrer, and Aaron Cresswell amid his centre-back injury crisis, which is far from his ideal group of defenders to go against a Liverpool side with a back-in-form Mo Salah.

The West Ham attack is slightly fitter, although Maxwel Cornet is still missing with a calf injury. The Hammers absolutely pelted Southampton’s attack and finished with a massive 25-10 shot advantage, but Saints somehow still had them beat in shots on target (8-4).

Lucas Paqueta is finally finding his best form as he had eight shots and hit the woodwork. Meanwhile, Gianluca Scamacca had seven shots, but he was unable to extend his run of scoring in two consecutive Premier League games.

History

Liverpool and West Ham have met 52 times in the Premier League. The Reds hold a 32-10 advantage in wins, with 10 draws.

Liverpool are in the midst of one of their most successful spells against the Hammers. They have won nine of their last 12 Premier League matches, with two draws and just one defeat.

That West Ham win came last season as they claimed a 3-2 win at London Stadium. But Liverpool got some revenge as they won 1-0 at Anfield thanks to a Sadio Mane goal.

West Ham’s last win at Anfield came back in 2015. The Hammers won 3-0 thanks to goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble, and Diafra Sakho.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Liverpool installed as 1.42 favourites to win at home. West Ham are priced at 6.60, while a draw is 4.60.

Liverpool should be buzzing after their big win over Man City, with Salah in particular overflowing with confidence amid his recent purple patch.

The prospect of facing a makeshift West Ham defence should give Salah a great chance of extending his goalscoring spree. Look for him and Liverpool to come out strong against the Hammers and take a lead into half-time.

 

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