West Ham vs Liverpool Preview: Team News & Prediction
by Trystan Pugh ·
Updated
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Under-pressure Arne Slot takes his struggling Liverpool side to the London Stadium on Sunday hoping to reignite the champions' season.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports / USA – NBC
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Peacock Premium
West Ham preview: Edging away from danger
West Ham have been much-improved in November with manager Nuno Espirito Santo starting to get a tune out of his players after taking the reigns in late September.
The Hammers most recently played out a 2-2 with Bournemouth last weekend, although they will have felt they should have won a third game on the bounce given that Callum Wilson had put them two goals to the good in the first half.
Liverpool preview: Are Slot's days numbered?
It's a full blown crisis now at Liverpool, with the reigning English champions having suffered two bruising home defeats in the past week - 0-3 to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and 1-4 to PSV in the UEFA Champions League.
There is no doubt that Arne Slot is a man under pressure right now, with the Reds having lost six of their last seven Premier League games.
West Ham team news: Late fitness tests
Oliver Scarles is targeting a December return, while there will be late checks on both Konstantinos Mavropanos and Crysencio Summerville.
Wilson looks to have nailed down the striker's berth for now, despite Niclas Fullkrug's return to fitness.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Diouf; Fernandes, Potts, Paqueta; Bowen, Wilson, Summerville
Unavailable: Scarles (Injured)
Questionable: Fabianski (Injured), Mavropanos (Fitness), Summerville (Injured)
Liverpool team news: Ekitike could make it
Alisson Becker has trained and is likely to return in goal after illness kept him out of the defeat to PSV, while Hugo Ekitike - substituted off with a back issue in that match - could be involved.
Florian Wirtz will be given every opportunity to make the squad, but five players remain definitely out for the Reds.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Salah, Isak, Gakpo
Unavailable: Bradley (Injured), Frimpong (Injured), Leoni (Injured), Bajcetic (Injured), Danns (Injured)
Questionable: Alisson (Illness), Wirtz (Injured), Ekitike (Injured)
West Ham vs Liverpool prediction
Things are looking much rosier now at West Ham with the Hammers starting to pick up some positive results after a dreadful start to the season under former boss Graham Potter.
The belief is clearly returning to the London club and that does not bode well for a Liverpool side who are totally bereft of confidence right now.
The Reds look a shadow of the team that cantered to the Premier League title last season, and some onlookers are already predicting that Slot is on the verge of losing his job.
The Liverpool defence is all at sea right now so it would be no surprise if the Hammers found the net at least once. Despite their own improvements though, West Ham haven't kept a clean sheet in any of their last nine games and remain vulnerable at the back themselves.
With these factors in mind, over 2.5 goals is a reasonable assumption at the London Stadium.
West Ham vs Liverpool tip: Over 2.5 goals
