Two of the Premier League‘s top four go head-to-head this weekend as West Ham host Liverpool at the London Stadium. Both West Ham United and Liverpool have been in impressive form of late and will want to maintain their positions in the top four. David Moyes’ men are currently fourth in the Premier League table with 20 points and are only two behind their Sunday opponents, who are currently second.
A late Tomáš Souček’s own goal saw West Ham settling for a draw in their midweek Europa League encounter against Genk. West Ham’s thumping 4-1 win over Aston Villa last weekend has boosted their confidence for this weekend’s clash against Liverpool. The Hammers have won four and lost one of their last five Premier League matches. The London Stadium is a difficult ground to go to and this could be a real test for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
West Ham have attempted 3.88 counterattacks per 90 minutes and have attempted a total of 42 counterattacks so far this season. Liverpool have an attacking style of play in which most of their players commit themselves in the opposition’s half and are vulnerable to counterattacks, if executed properly. West Ham have been successful with the counterattacks they have attempted and can cause the Liverpool defense a few problems.
Michail Antonio and Mo Salah have had the most goal contributions in the league. While Salah is leading with a massive 16 goal contributions in 10 games, Antonio has a total of nine goal contributions. Both players are the leading goal scorers for their teams and have been in impressive form of late. Antonio has an expected goal contribution of 0.77 per 90 minutes and is expected to have a huge impact on West Ham’s performance against Liverpool.
Liverpool made it two in a row over Atletico Madrid in midweek, with a comfortable 2-0 win at Anfield, thanks to goals from Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota. Liverpool have been in excellent form in the Premier League but have been inconsistent at times. Liverpool are in second place in the Premier League table. They were held to a 2-2 draw by Brighton last weekend and will need to bounce back in this match.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had a stellar performance in the Champions League as he provided two assists against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. The above visual shows us the pass map for Alexander-Arnold from Wednesday’s game. The English fullback had the highest xT from his passes and put in two great balls towards his teammates.
Liverpool are now unbeaten in 25 matches across all competitions. Jurgen Klopp’s men are also the leading scorers in the Premier League with 29 goals in 10 matches. Mohamed Salah’s form is a huge positive for Liverpool, with Mane and Jota looking in great touch too.
All the good form that West Ham United have showcased in recent weeks will help them in building confidence for the weekend’s clash against Liverpool. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 12 away games in the league. They thumped Manchester United and have beaten Atletico Madrid twice over the last few weeks and will look to maintain their unbeaten record this season.
West Ham predicted starting lineup:
Fabianski, Johnson, Ogbonna, Zouma, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma.
Liverpool predicted starting lineup:
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Salah, Jota, Mane.
