With Manchester City reminding the world just how dreadful Arsenal are when they face any kind of decent opposition, the onus is now on Liverpool to try to keep themselves 5 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a win away from home against West Ham.

Current Form

West Ham

West Ham have been rather unpredictable so far this season. Although they have, at times, turned up and put in a good display against some teams, they've also looked dreadful against others. They currently find themselves in 12th place in the Premier League table on 31 points. In their previous 5 games, West Ham have won 1, lost 3, and drawn 1.

Statistically, West Ham have been somewhat average this season. They've scored 30 times, an average of 1.25 goals per game. That isn't bad, but they have also conceded 37 times, an average of 1.54 goals per game and this is something they clearly need to work on.

Liverpool

Liverpool aren't in a bad run of form at the moment but were left frustrated by a draw in the previous round of fixtures when there was an opportunity to capitalise on Manchester City's loss to Newcastle. Liverpool are currently in 1st place in the Premier League table on 61 points, 2 points clear of Manchester City with a game in hand. In their previous 5 games, Liverpool won 3, lost 1, and drew 1.

Statistically, Liverpool remain impressive so far this season. They've scored 55 times, an average of 2.20 goals per game. Defensively, the Reds have only conceded 14 times, an average of 0.56 goals per game.

Head to Head

In the previous 10 meetings between the clubs, West Ham won 3, Liverpool won 5, and there were 2 draws. West Ham have been a tricky banana skin for Liverpool in recent years, but it's worth noting that Liverpool have won all previous 4 games between the clubs, scoring 4 goals each time.

Analysis

West Ham

West Ham have been difficult to predict so far this season. When expected to lose, they seem to be able to grind out a result. However, they have also been losing a lot of games they should be winning. For example, they recently beat Arsenal but then went on to lose consecutive games against Bournemouth and Wolves. West Ham will be the underdogs again here so perhaps that will give them a strange boost they seem to thrive on in this kind of fixture.

West Ham's biggest issue in this game is the fact that Arnautovic, Cresswell, and Fabianski will all face a last minute check to see whether they are fit to play. If these players are unable to feature then West Ham will look severely depleted and this will give Liverpool a big boost of confidence. Perhaps West Ham's best strategy here would be to frustrate Liverpool for as long as possible and then try to snatch something when an opportunity arises. As Liverpool are looking to re-establish their 5 point lead at the top of the table, things could become tense if they're unable to break the deadlock in the early stages of the game.

Liverpool

With Manchester City comfortably disposing of Arsenal on Sunday evening, Liverpool will now be looking to respond with a win of their own to keep their lead at the top of the table intact. It was difficult to assess how much of an impact the icy weather had on Liverpool's result against Leicester in the previous round of fixtures, but the players must shoulder some blame for the way in which they approached the game. One of Liverpool's biggest problems at the moment is the injuries to their defensive line. With Lovren set to miss another game, and both Gomez and Alexander-Arnold still out of action, Liverpool will once again be forced to play a makeshift defensive line. However, Milner is likely to return to left-back following his recent suspension and this is much more preferable to Henderson having to assume that role in the team. This will also allow Fabinho to make his way back into midfield and influence the game from his favoured position.

Any kind of win will do here for Liverpool as points are the only real thing that matters. However, it would be preferable for Klopp's team to go out and make a statement. The best way to do this would be to play fast-paced, attacking football that would likely be too much for West Ham to handle. If Liverpool can do this then they have more than enough quality up front to get the job done.

Predictions

Although I am feeling anxious as a Liverpool supporter, I do believe that the Reds will be looking to bounce back in style. If West Ham aren't at their best then Liverpool should have the quality to take all 3 points in this match.

Prediction: Liverpool win

Score Prediction: West Ham 1 - 3 Liverpool

Betting Picks

I have opted to back Liverpool in this fixture at odds of 1.42. I have also taken positions on the over 2.5 goals and over 3.5 goals markets as Liverpool have scored 4 goals in this fixture in all 4 previous games.

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