Liverpool will look to maintain their lead at the top of the table when they travel to the London Stadium to take on West Ham United on Monday.
Here are three key battles that could very well decide the outcome of the game.
Andy Carroll vs Virgil van Dijk
With Marko Arnautovic likely to miss out, Andy Carroll is expected to spearhead the West Ham attack on Monday. And the English international will certainly be keen to make an impression against his former club.
Carroll is known for his aerial prowess and his physical approach that allows him to dominate defenders in the penalty box. This could be ideal for a West Ham side who are expected to play on the counter against Liverpool.
As for Liverpool, the onus will be on Virgil van Dijk to prevent the 30-year old from finding any space inside the 18-yard box.
The Dutchman is perhaps the best Carroll will face, and it will be interesting to see how these two players fare when pitted against each other on Monday.
Declan Rice vs Georginio Wijnaldum/Naby Keita
Declan Rice will be burdened with the responsibility of providing the security to the backline. The young midfielder has performed well so far and has managed 2.4 tackles a game.
While Fabinho is likely to be installed as the holding midfielder, Naby Keita might be given the chance to play in an attacking midfield role.
Rice, therefore, will look to disrupt Keita’s rhythm using his robust approach in midfield.
Keita is a good dribbler and likes make the darting runs into the opposition half, something Rice will have to stop.
West Ham defence vs Salah and Firmino
The combination between Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah has added another dimension to Liverpool’s attacking approach this season.
Both the attackers have an excellent understanding with each other, and have often exchanged positions at various stages of the game which has made Liverpool’s attack more unpredictable.
And stopping the duo’s seemingly telepathic movements and combinations should be West Ham defence’s number one priority if they are to cause an upset on Monday.
