West Ham United vs Liverpool
Liverpool’s procession toward the Premier League title continues. The Reds restored their 16-point lead atop the table after a late win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers. They have now won 14 Premier League matches in a row, four away from tying Manchester City’s all-time mark of 18 straight wins.
The leaders will now have their sights set on picking up their 15th win in a row as they pay West Ham a visit at the London Stadium.
The Hammers have continued their worrying slide under David Moyes and are currently out of the relegation zone only by goal difference. And with West Ham’s poor home form this season, the Premier League 2020 odds will be even more in the Reds’ favour.
Talking Points
Moyes not making a difference
David Moyes’ West Ham return has not delivered the results that Hammers fans were hoping for. After winning their first two games with Moyes at the helm, the Hammers have gone winless in their last four with three defeats and a draw. That includes a heavy 4-1 defeat at Leicester City, as well as a humiliating 1-0 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
While Moyes did make some changes to his starting line-up — he had 22-year-old Albian Ajeti partner Sebastien Haller up front — it was still a side that should’ve taken care of a Championship side, especially after West Brom went down to 10 men with 20 minutes to go.
Despite the talents of Haller, Pablo Fornals, and Felipe Anderson at his disposal, Moyes has simply been unable to get a tune out of the Hammers’ attack, which has scored just twice in their last four matches.
And to make matters worse, West Ham’s home woes have persisted this season. The Hammers have the second-worst home record in the league with just 11 points from 11 matches, including six defeats.
West Ham have also continued to struggle at the back. They’ve conceded 38 goals, tied for the fourth-most in the league. It will take quite a special performance for the Hammers’ defence to keep Liverpool from scoring.
Mane a major injury doubt
Liverpool just keep winning. Despite being given a tough test by Wolves, the Reds recovered and snatched a later winner through Roberto Firmino, which extended their remarkable run to 14 consecutive league wins.
However, it was not all good news for Liverpool as Sadio Mane had to come off in the first half with a suspected hamstring injury. He now joins the likes of James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri on Liverpool’s injury list.
The Premier League 2020 updates on Mane’s availability against West Ham remain unclear, although it’s unlikely he will be risked so soon after a hamstring injury.
But Klopp has managed to cope with all the different injury setbacks to his squad this season, whether it be to Alisson, Fabinho, or one of their front three.
Even with Mane out, Liverpool should still be a formidable force going forward with the likes of Divock Origi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Takumi Minamino set to come in and start alongside Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
And on the other end of the pitch, Liverpool’s defence will like its chances on containing West Ham’s sputtering attack. The Reds gave up a goal against Wolves, which was actually the first they’ve conceded in their last seven league matches.
History
West Ham held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw in this fixture last season. Michail Antonio equalised after Sadio Mane had put the Reds in front. However, Liverpool had dominated the previous four meetings, winning 4-0 twice and 4-1 twice.
Mohamed Salah has enjoyed facing the Hammers. He’s scored four goals in his last four games against them. Mane has also had his success against West Ham with four in his last three.
Betting Tip
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West Ham United vs Liverpool | Under 3.00 Goals @ 1.93 |
| January 30, 03:45 (GMT+8) |
Unsurprisingly, SBOBET odds have Liverpool priced as significant favourites at 1.38 to win. West Ham are 7.60 to snatch a shock home win, while a draw is 4.60.
However, I like the over under market for this match, which has the makings of a low-scoring affair. It’s been evident in Liverpool’s recent league matches that they have been all too happy with grinding out results. Five of their last seven matches have seen under three goals.
Mane’s absence will likely dull Liverpool’s attack a little, while the Reds’ outstanding defence should have a similar effect on the Hammers’ struggling forward line.
Liverpool should still be able to come away with London Stadium with all three points, but don’t expect them to go out and hammer West Ham. Instead, expect a more conservative 1-0 or 2-0 victory.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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