West Ham v Liverpool – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

West Ham face Liverpool in the English Premier League in the early kickoff on Saturday. The Hammers have tasted victory just once in eight matches whilst Liverpool have lost three of their last five fixtures. The Reds have 13 of their last 15 matches against West Ham.

West Ham Form

West Ham’s form since the turn of the year has been pretty dire. They’ve won just four of 21 matches in 2024 and they’re currently on a run of one win in eight matches in all competitions. After smashing Freiburg 5-0 in the Europa League, they lost 4-3 at Newcastle either side of two draws.

Their sole win in the last nine was 2-1 at Wolves before being beaten 2-0 away at Bayer Leverkusen after two late goals. They drew the second leg 1-1 at home after conceding late. Either side of that were league losses, 2-0 at home to Fulham and a 5-2 drubbing at Crystal Palace where they trailed 4-0 after 31 minutes.

West Ham Team News

West Ham have three injury doubts for this match. Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd are going to need late fitness checks at the back. If both miss out, then Angelo Ogbonna will deputise alongside Kurt Zouma.

In attack, Jarrod Bowen is touch-and-go. If he misses out again, the front four will stay the same with James Ward-Prowse playing a more advanced role.

West Ham Motivation

The Hammers tend to have low possession numbers in matches and focus on crosses, counters, and set pieces.

Despite being at home, they may see a point as a great result. Expect a defensive outlook as they could get ripped apart if they open up.

Liverpool Form

Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour has not gone as planned of late. The last 11 matches have only yielded five wins for Liverpool with some damaging recent defeats and draws. A 2-2 draw at Man Utd saw a plethora of clear chances missed. A 3-0 home loss to Atalanta followed in the Europa League.

Things got worse with a 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace despite producing 2.81 Expected Goals. They bounced back somewhat by winning 1-0 at Atalanta (to lose 3-1 on aggregate) before winning 3-1 at Fulham last weekend. In midweek, they lost 2-0 at Everton despite having 23 shots and 76% possession.

Liverpool Team News

Jurgen Klopp is still without Conor Bradley and long-term absentees Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara due to injuries. Diogo Jota missed the Everton match with a muscle problem and remains doubtful.

There could be changes to the XI after recent results. Joe Gomez could start at left back and Harvey Elliott is expected to be picked in midfield. Cody Gakpo is set to be available after the birth of his child meant he missed the defeat at Goodison Park.

Liverpool Motivation

The Reds know the title may already be gone. They simply need to win this match and hope for Arsenal and Man City to slip up.

Fatigue seems to be playing a big part and motivation may be dropping after recent defeats.

Key Stats

West Ham have won just once in 8 matches in all competitions

West Ham have lost 13 of their last 15 matches vs Liverpool

West Ham have conceded 13 goals in their last 5 EPL matches

Liverpool have lost 4 of their last 9 matches

Liverpool have scored 14 goals in their last 6 away matches

Verdict

This will be a close match in all likelihood. The Hammers are in dire form, but Liverpool looks flat and tired. It may be a slight risk to back the Reds to rally themselves for an away win here.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score + Over 2.5 goals at 1.74
High-Value Bet: Liverpool to win by exactly 1 goal at 3.90
Goalscorer Tip: Darwin Nunez to score anytime at 2.05

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis