Second match-up that will take place in London on Sunday will be the one at Olympic Stadium between West Ham United and Liverpool. For the Hammers, this match doesn’t carry too much importance as the team find themselves in the middle of the English Premier league table above the danger zone and below the “European competitions spots battle zone,” meaning that they shall play this game only for prestige and with no pressure.
On the other side, Liverpool FC needs a win here to keep the upper hand over Arsenal and Manchester teams in the battle for two Champions League spots that are still open. In depth analysis of the match-up is below so let’s take a closer look.
WEST HAM FC vs. LIVERPOOL FC
3-Way: 1: West Ham FC +465; X: +320 Draw; Liverpool FC -137
Spread +1: West Ham FC -127; Liverpool FC +123
Total +2.5: Over -115; Under +108
WEST HAM FC
The Hammers are having another average year as they rank in the “golden middle” of the English Premier league table with 42 points two rounds before the end of the season. They can’t slide down or advance up much and the both fans and the players are probably already thinking about the next season.
The West Ham team has established themselves as the regular and steady English Premier League team after they got promoted from the Championship in 2012 and the next step that would include the qualification for one of the European competitions might be in order next season but we will see how it’s going to play out for manager Slaven Bilic.
Team went through a period of bad form during the month of March, recording five consecutive defeats. That bad spell is definitely over as they are undefeated in the last five rounds. They are coming off from a home win over the Spurs that ended Tottenham’s unbelievable nine-games winning streak.
The team is 2-3-3 in the last eight games and they are 2-1-1 in the last four home match-ups. Overall record at the Olympic stadium is 7-4-7 with a 19-27 goal difference (45-59 overall) and they rank 15th in the home league table with 25 of 54 possible points earned.
The Hammers score 1.06 and concede 1.50 goals per game at home this season (1.25-1.64 overall) and they scored six more goals on the road than at home. 56% of their home games had under 2.5 goals and 72% of their home matches had under 3.5 goals in total. 17% of home match-ups had over 4.5 goals and only 19% of their total games had over 2.5 goals at the halftime.
In 19% of the clashes team managed to score at least one goal in both halves while in 31% of matches they managed to concede at least one goal in both halves. 39% home games seen both teams score while 56% of overall matchups seen both team score. Most common result at home is a 1:0 win (occurred six times) while most common score at halftime was 0:0 (occurred nine times).
Midfielders Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini top the team in scoring in the English Premier League with nine and eight goals while Dimitri Payet still holds the best assister honor with six assists in 18 games he played for the team this season. Lanzini and Jose Fonte top the passing segment with 1290 and 1267 total passes while goalies Darren Randolph (22 appearances) and Adrian (14 appearances) collected 109 saves along with 10 games with clean sheets combined.
West Ham is the team with most injured players in the English Premier League at the moment (nine). Gokhan Tore (Knee), Angelo Ogbonna (Knee), Pedro Obiang (Ankle), Michail Antonio (Hamstring), Andy Carroll (Groin), Diafra Sakho (Back), Cheikhou Kouyate (Wrist) and Mark Noble (Hernia) are all out for the season while Arthur Masuaku (Foot) might be ready for Sunday’s game.
LIVERPOOL FC
The Liverpool FC fans are waiting almost thirty years for the next English Premier League Champions title and they are going to be disappointed again. Team is constantly in the top of the league table but that final step seems to avoid them. The Reds thought they would catch a break with new manager Jurgen Klopp who came from Borussia Dortmund last season but characteristic inconsistency is still annoying the fans.
Hopefully that will change in the years to come but for now, they have to be satisfied at least with a Champions League spot as the battle for this competition looks more entertaining and exciting than ever. Team currently ranks third with 70 points in 36 games, one more than Manchester City and five more than Arsenal and Manchester United but they do have one more match played.
When it comes to the recent form in the English Premier League, the Reds play pretty solid as they are 4-3-1 in the last eight match-ups and 3-1-0 in the last four road games. Overall record on the road is 9-5-4 with 29-24 goal difference (71-42 overall) and they rank fourth in the road league table with 32 of 54 possible points earned. They are currently riding a three-game winning streak as visitors and are undefeated on the road since February 27th (3:1 loss against Leicester City).
Liverpool scores 1.61. and concedes 1.33 goals per game away (1.97-1.17 overall) and they’ve managed to score in 83% of their away matches including at least one goal in each of their last five road games. 50% of team’s away matchups had over 2.5 goals and 28% of those games had over 3.5 goals in total. The Reds from Liverpool managed to score in both halves in 28% of their visits and they managed to concede in both halves in 22% of those games. Most common result on the road is a 2:1 win (occurred three times) and most common score at the halftime was 1:0 lead (occurred five times).
Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho lead the team in scoring with 13, 11 and 10 goals while Adam Lallana tops the team in assists with seven so far. James Milner and Jordan Henderson are the team’s leading passers with 1977 and 1759 total passes while goalkeepers Simon Mignolet (26 appearances) and Loris Karius (10 appearances) have 66 saves and 10 games with clean sheets combined.
Danny Ings (Knee) and Adam Bogdan (ACL Knee) are out for the season while Jordan Henderson (Plantar Fasciitis) and Sadio Mane (Cartilage Knee) are listed as major doubts for Sunday. Lucas Leiva (Muscle) and Roberto Firmino (Muscle) will have a late fitness test.
West Ham FC vs. Liverpool FC- Match Prediction
Liverpool needs a win if they want to stay at the pole position for one of two remaining Champions League spots and I think that they can wrap this one up. West Ham is a solid team and they defeated Tottenham last weekend but they don’t really need the points. I would also go with both teams score here.
My pick: Liverpool FC (-137)
Additional Pick: Both teams score (-110)
