West Ham United secured all three points against Watford last weekend at the London Stadium. On Saturday, David Moyes’ side are due to make a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool, who would be aiming to dethrone Manchester United from the second spot in the league table.
Team News
The Hammers have a lot of injury concerns. While Winston Reid is doubtful for the game owing to his throat infection, Pedro Obiang and Andy Carroll are on the long-term injury list. Arthur Masuaku remains suspended after receiving a six-match ban for spitting. However, West Ham United would be boosted by the return of Manuel Lanzini.
Goalkeeper
Adrian is expected to be handed the role of the custodian ahead of Joe Hart. The Spaniard has collected 4 clean sheets from 13 appearances in the top flight, making 2.92 saves per game on an average, and he is expected to be tested frequently by the fearsome attacking arsenal of Klopp.
Defence
Moyes is likely to roll out a three-man defensive wall comprising of Aaron Cresswell, James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna. His defensive line against the Hornets worked pretty well and he is unlikely to trifle with the combination. It would be really intriguing to see whether Moyes’ defence manages to withstand the pressure this weekend or not.
Wingbacks
Michail Antonio has been quite decent for the London based outfit this season and he should be the one getting the nod to start from the left-wingback slot. Antonio has the requisite pace in his legs and can engineer a decent balance between his attacking and defensive endeavours.
Pablo Zabaleta’s experience would be really beneficial for West Ham United as he is anticipated to start from the right-wingback slot. Liverpool are no pushovers and Moyes’ side really need someone commanding in the aforesaid position.
Midfield
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate are expected to be partnered in the middle of the park. The former has been far from his best of late and needs to find his rhythm against Liverpool. However, Kouyate’s physicality and tenacity will certainly prove to be a challenge for the Liverpool midfielders.
Attack
Up front, Javier Hernandez is expected to start. The 29-year-old Mexican has scored 7 goals in 21 Premier League appearances so far this season. He is expected to be flanked by Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic and the duo is more than capable of causing all sorts of trouble for Klopp’s inconsistent defensive wards.
