Liverpool head into matchday 7 of the Premier League level at the top of the table with Merseyside rival Everton. The Reds will host one of the league’s most in-form teams on Saturday evening as West Ham arrive at Anfield.
The Hammers are unbeaten in four straight games. After claiming two impressive wins versus Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City, David Moyes’ team recorded two brilliant score draws versus Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
Jurgen Klopp must be leery of West Ham and the threat they pose. Last season, the Hammers went to Anfield and nearly pulled off a famous win. Liverpool had to come from behind twice to bag a 3-2 win.
Liverpool are coming off of a midweek Champions League win versus Denmark’s Midtjylland. It was a hard slog for the Reds and the 2-0 scoreline flattered them.
Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah both scored in the second half. Salah’s goal came from the penalty spot.
Klopp has a host of injury issues heading into the game. Of course, Virgil van Dijk is injured, yet surprisingly, the Reds defence has looked better without him. They have now kept two clean sheets in three games since Van Dijk’s injury.
Making defensive matters worse is Fabinho suffering a hamstring strain in midweek. He is likely to sit out this weekend and next week’s Champions League game. Fabinho could return for matchday 8 against Manchester City.
Joel Matip could return from injury to partner Joe Gomez. Klopp could use teenager Rhys Williams or Jordan Henderson as well. Xherdan Shaqiri played well in midweek and could get another chance to start versus West Ham.
Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Kostas Tsimikas could all return from their respective injuries. Klopp has a big squad of quality players and he is needing them at the moment.
West Ham are without a key player for the game as Michail Antonio is ruled out of the match. The Hammers will miss his ability to bully defenders. Sebastien Haller could start in place of Antonio.
Liverpool are unbeaten in 10 straight games against West Ham in all competitions. Six of those games saw over 2.5 goals scored while six matches saw both teams score goals.
Saturday evening’s game should be another thriller, similar to last season’s 3-2 match at Anfield. Liverpool should get another win at home with over 2.5 goals scored and both sides finding the back of the net. Diogo Jota is in great form and could get on the scoresheet for the Reds.