West Ham vs Liverpool Preview: Insights, Forecasts, and Top Wagers
In the forthcoming English Premier League encounter, West Ham United will square off against Liverpool in the early kickoff on Saturday. The Hammers have endured a challenging stretch, with a mere single victory in eight matches, while Liverpool have experienced setbacks, losing three out of five recent fixtures. Notably, Liverpool have triumphed in thirteen of their last fifteen encounters against West Ham.
West Ham's Struggling Form
Since the turn of the year, West Ham's form has shown a marked decline, with just four victories in 21 matches. After a commanding 5-0 win over Freiburg in the Europa League, they suffered a 4-3 defeat at Newcastle, either side of two draws. Their only victory in the preceding nine matches came in a 2-1 triumph at Wolves. However, they were defeated 2-0 away at Bayer Leverkusen following two late goals, and drew 1-1 at home after conceding a late goal. Before these results, they had lost 2-0 to Fulham at home and were trounced 5-2 by Crystal Palace, trailing 4-0 by the 31st minute.
West Ham's Team News
West Ham face three injury concerns entering this fixture. Defenders Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd may require late fitness tests. If both are unavailable, Angelo Ogbonna will deputize alongside Kurt Zouma. In attack, Jarrod Bowen remains questionable. If he is sidelined once more, Ward-Prowse will continue to play a more advanced role up front.
West Ham's Motivation
West Ham tend to prioritize crosses, counters, and set pieces, often possessing low ball possession. They may view a draw as a commendable outcome, adopting a defensive strategy to prevent possible destruction should they open up too much.
Liverpool's Receding Form
Liverpool's recent form has been far from ideal, with just five victories in the last eleven matches. A 2-2 draw against Manchester United was followed by a plethora of missed opportunities, a 3-0 home loss to Atalanta in the Europa League, and a 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace despite generating 2.81 Expected Goals. A 1-0 away victory at Atalanta (resulting in a 3-1 aggregate loss) was followed by a 3-1 triumph at Fulham last weekend. In midweek, they suffered a 2-0 loss at Everton despite maintaining 23 shots and 76% possession.
Liverpool's Team News
Manager Jurgen Klopp continues to be without Conor Bradley and long-term absentees Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara due to injuries. Diogo Jota missed the Everton match due to a muscle problem, and remains doubtful for this contest. Joe Gomez could start at left back, while Harvey Elliott is expected to feature in midfield. Cody Gakpo is likely to be available, having missed the defeat at Goodison Park due to the birth of his child.
Liverpool's Motivation
Liverpool's title hopes may have already dwindled, but they still require a victory to keep their title defense alive. They will be hopeful that Arsenal and Manchester City slip up, while focusing on their own performance. Fatigue could be a concern, with recent setbacks potentially impacting their motivation.
Key Stats
- West Ham have claimed just one victory in eight matches across all competitions.
- West Ham have lost thirteen of their last fifteen encounters against Liverpool.
- West Ham have conceded thirteen goals in their last five EPL matches.
- Liverpool have lost four of their last nine matches.
- Liverpool have scored fourteen goals in their last six away matches.
Betting Tips
This encounter is likely to be closely contested, but Liverpool might demonstrate the necessary resilience for an away victory. The odds for Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals stand at 1.74, while Liverpool to win by exactly 1 goal can be backed at 3.90. Darwin Nunez may be a strong bet to score at anytime, with odds of 2.05.
- West Ham United are currently in a struggling form, having secured just four victories in their last 21 matches across all competitions.
- Liverpool's recent form has been less than stellar, with only five wins in their last eleven matches, and they have lost three out of five in their recent fixtures.
- In their head-to-head encounters, Liverpool have triumphed in thirteen of their last fifteen matches against West Ham United.
- For sports-analysis purposes, this upcoming English Premier League encounter between West Ham United and Liverpool presents an opportunity to assess the current form of both teams, particularly as Liverpool looks to keep their title defense alive. With key stats highlighting both teams' struggling defense and Liverpool's solid away performances, a betting tip could be Liverpool to win by exactly 1 goal, with odds of 3.90.
