Liverpool VS West Ham United Match Prediction
2018-08-12
12:30:00
Liverpool
VS
West Ham United
Our Prediction Tip
Liverpool will win this match.
2018-08-1212:30:00 Liverpool will win this match.
Liverpool have won this fixture on 73 occasions, compared to West Ham’s 28 wins, with the Reds scoring four times in each of the last three matches between the two. At Anfield last season, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all netted in a 4-1 win (Emre Can had scoring the opener), while at Upton Park, Salah’s two goals sandwiched efforts by Joel Matip and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – the latter just a minute after Manuel Lanzini had pulled a goal back. Here are the results of their last five matches:
Feb 24, 2018: Liverpool 4-1 West Ham United
Nov 04, 2017: West Ham United 1-4 Liverpool
May 14, 2017: West Ham United 0-4 Liverpool
Dec 11, 2016: Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United
Feb 09, 2016: West Ham 2-1 Liverpool
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Liverpool will expect big results after their summer of investment, and that starts at home to a West Ham team they have enjoyed plenty of success against recently.
Mo Salah scored three times in two games against the Hammers last season, and the reigning Premier League golden boot winner will hope for more this time out.
The Reds have scored plenty this summer, putting four past Manchester United, five past Napoli and three past Torino in their three most recent games.
A sign of their heavy summer investment and new-found strength in depth can also be seen in the fact Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s likely season-long absence has been offset by the fact he may not have managed to force his way into a starting role in the midfield three anyway. At least two of James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum will also probably not be starting against West Ham.
That gives Liverpool a strong midfield behind their free-scoring front three – all of whom found the net in pre-season at some point – and that is very ominous for West Ham, who conceded four goals in each of their last three games against Liverpool.
This is a new-look Hammers team, of course, led by Manuel Pellegrini – who was backed by plenty of investment in the transfer market.
But West Ham’s summer spending is not likely to be enough to close the gap to a Liverpool team who comfortably outplayed them at home and away last season.
This might not be so one-sided, but it would be a big surprise if Liverpool did not claim all three points.
Liverpool are huge odds-on favourites to beat West Ham in their first game of the new Premier League season – Betfair, Bet365, Betway and 10Bet are all offering the best price of just 1/4 on a home win.
Expect plenty of goals too – both teams have attacking set-ups, while Liverpool scored four times in both games against West Ham last season. Over 2.5 goals will return 1/2 with Betfair, while the riskier over 3.5 goals is a best price of 13/10 with the same bookmaker.
Liverpool’s new keeper Alisson will make his Premier League debut and the Brazilian stopper will hope to mark it with a clean sheet. Betfair are offering 19/20 against both teams to score. A Liverpool clean sheet would impact on the over 3.5 goals bet too, however.
Mohamed Salah is just 1/2 to score at the other end with 888sport, meanwhile, while Roberto Firmino is 27/25. Sadio Mane has scored on the opening day in each of the last two seasons and is also worth backing at 7/5 to score at any time with 888sport.
Liverpool look a formidable team this summer, and they will be keen to kick-start the campaign with a big win at home against a team they outplayed twice last season.
A packed pre-season program has allowed plenty of time for Liverpool to get their key players up to match fitness. The most recent friendly, at home to Torino, saw Naby Keita and Fabinho line up together in midfield - they tended to replace each other in previous matches - while Alisson made another start in goal. Xherdan Shaqiri is the only new signing not expected to start, with the former Stoke man likely to be introduced from the bench. Of their World Cup players, only Croatia's Dejan Lovren has not returned to action yet.
Mohamed Salah - Scored three times in two games against West Ham last season, and the Egyptian - last year's Golden Boot winner - will hope to start the new campaign with more goals.
Sadio Mane - In the goals in pre-season, the Senegalese winger will be an integral part of Liverpool's front three again this season.
Roberto Firmino - Opened the scoring against Torino in Liverpool's most recent friendly before setting up the second.
Liverpool's pre-season schedule has been packed with fixtures, with just one of their nine matches ending in defeat. Since the 3-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund at the start of their International Champions Cup matches in America, Liverpool bounced back by winning their next four games. Mo Salah and Sadio Mane scored in a comeback win against a young Manchester City team before a 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United – Mane again scoring from the penalty spot. That win, which also included a superb Xherdan Shaqiri overhead kick, was followed by a 5-0 destruction of Napoli, with Salah one of the five different goalscorers. And, last time out, Roberto Firmino scored his first goal of pre-season before Gini Wijnaldum got his second in two games and Danny Sturridge scored his third in three to seal a 3-1 win against Torino.
West Ham have a number of injury problems ahead of their first match, with Winston Reid, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll all missing the start of the new season and Andriy Yarmalenko a doubt with a hip problem. Lukasz Fabianski, Ryan Fredericks, Jack Wilshere, Felipe Anderson and Issa Diop could all make their West Ham debuts in Manuel Pellegrini’s first Premier League game in charge of the Hammers, however.
Jack Wilshere – Overlooked for England’s World Cup squad, the former Arsenal man has opted for a fresh start at West Ham where he could become a vital cog in midfield.
Felipe Anderson – West Ham spent heavily to land the former Lazio man, who scored 34 goals in his 177 games in Italy, from attacking midfield.
Javier Hernandez – Scored the winner in West Ham’s friendly win against Angers last time out, after managing eight in his debut Hammers’ season.
West Ham lost their first pre-season friendly 3-2 against Winterthur but have been unbeaten since. They drew with Preston and Mainz 05 – beating the latter on penalties - and beat Wycombe, Aston Villa, Ipswich and, last time out, Angers. In their most recent game, it was Javier Hernandez who scored the only goal of the match in a 1-0 West Ham win.
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