The transfer window is done and the fans are now eagerly waiting for the Premier League to begin. The Liverpool fans will have to wait a bit though as their side do not play until Sunday.
The Reds will entertain a new look West Ham United come Sunday and it could be a pretty interesting game. The Hammers did surprise a few as they added some big-name players a few weeks ago and with Manuel Pellegrini at the helm now, they ought to be taken seriously this season.
Liverpool themselves have added a lot more quality and depth to their squad and look like the team who could challenge Manchester City, the favourites for the League this season.
Jürgen Klopp’s side had an impressive preseason campaign as they were beaten just once and managed impressive wins over Manchester United and Napoli.
Team News
Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip are unlikely to start the game. While Lovren just returned to training, Matip suffered an injury in preseason and isn’t fully fit yet. Roberto Firmino has featured in the first half of the last two games and is in line to start once again, but I’d be surprised if Klopp keeps him on for more than 60 minutes.
Predicted Liverpool lineup vs West Ham
Defence
Alisson has had a couple of games under his belt and is in line to start in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn’t had too many games in preseason, so we could see Nathaniel Clyne starting at right-back. Andy Robertson is likely to take his place on the left.
Virgil van Dijk will start at the heart of the defence and young Nathaniel Phillips could be the other centre-half. Joe Gomez isn’t 100% fit and Klopp will have to assess the situation late.
Midfield
A three-man midfield is what I expect Klopp to go with. West Ham have a few tricky attackers, so we could see Fabinho playing as the defensive midfielder. Gini Wijnaldum has played a bit deeper in the midfield, so he is likely to start in midfield to add more balance.
Naby Keita could complete the three-man midfield. The former Leipzig man is used to playing in a setup with the pressing blueprint.
Attack
Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah; what more do you need as a Liverpool fan? Salah is still finding his feet after that shoulder injury, but with time, he’ll improve.
Xherdan Shaqiri could get a few minutes as he’s been mighty impressive in preseason.
