Liverpool Match Preview
West Ham United’s festive fixture programme concludes this evening when they will attempt to end Liverpool’s unbeaten away record.
2024 hasn’t been a good year for the Hammers, as they have only won ten Premier League games and they will want to get revenge on Arne Slot’s side for their Carabao Cup exit in September when they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat at Anfield.
Liverpool have been a side that have often been on the hunt for trophies, but never before have they looked so imperious and given the fact that they seem to keep rolling on when those trying to catch them drop points, the Irons know they will have to produce something exceptional to keep their December form intact for just one more game.
Both teams have had the same amount of time to prepare for this game so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top here, given that the hosts had to travel back from Southampton and the visitors were involved in the later kick-off.
Guido Rodríguez may have avoided being sent-off by VAR in the 1-0 victory on Boxing Day, but he will be suspended, owing to the fact that he received a fifth yellow card against Ivan Jurić’s men while Tomáš Souček is also missing having suffered the same fate. However, Lucas Paquetá is back from his own one-match ban.
Carlos Soler was substituted at half-time three days ago due to illness and is a doubt for this game and if he isn’t deemed fit enough to participate, then Edson Álvarez will be restored to the starting line-up.
Konstantinos Mavropanos was a doubt ahead of the trip to the South Coast but he managed to retain his place and he may do so again, given the injury to Max Kilman.
Łukasz Fabiański is expected to miss this encounter but on the plus side for the Pole, his head injury isn’t as bad as first feared. This means that Alphonse Areola will return to the starting line-up for the first time since the 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on 19 October with Wes Foderingham providing cover on the bench.
Aaron Cresswell made his 300th top-flight appearance by playing the final thirty six minutes at St Mary’s and could be called upon for a rare start in defence. Jean-Clair Todibo is also in contention.
The match kicks off at the unusual time of 5:15pm and live coverage is being screened by Sky Sports from 4:45pm. The referee is Anthony Taylor.