West Ham vs Liverpool verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets
- Matty Briggs
- 25 April 2023
Liverpool travel to the capital to face West Ham on a four-game unbeaten run in the Premier League as they look to close the gap on fourth spot.
West Ham are moving themselves away from the relegation zone and will present a stern test to a Liverpool side enjoying their own recent revival.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Premier League, Wednesday April 26, Kick-off 7:45pm, live on BT Sport 2
Predicted score
Suggested bets
West Ham vs Liverpool to draw
West Ham vs Liverpool BTTS, yes
Key stats
Liverpool have won six of their last seven matches against West Ham in all competitions.
There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Liverpool's last three Premier League games.
Liverpool have scored at least two goals in five of their last six away matches against West Ham in all competitions.
Liverpool have gone four games unbeaten in the Premier League.
West Ham are five games unbeaten in all competitions.
Team news
Gianluca Scamacca is still missing. David Moyes could go with an unchanged line-up here, but Pablo Fornals will be hoping to displace Said Benrahma on the left after his scorpion kick goal against Bournemouth.
Roberto Firmino sustained a muscular problem and is the latest addition to the Liverpool treatment room. Naby Keita, Stefan Bajcetic (adductor) and Calvin Ramsay (knee) are all still missing. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez are pushing for starts, but Jurgen Klopp could name an unchanged side.
West Ham vs Liverpool verdict
The games are running out for Liverpool to grab an unlikely Champions League spot, but their return to form has been timely. Back-to-back victories after draws with Chelsea and Arsenal have put the Reds in sight of fourth place again.
A win at West Ham will be required to keep up that pursuit, but the Hammers, like Liverpool, have found some form and 17/20 about the visitors looks plenty short enough.
The Hammers (14/5) are through to the Europa Conference League semi-finals and have lost just once in 10 games - the recent 5-1 reverse by Newcastle. That was a freak result to a certain degree as West Ham clattered the post after just two minutes before Newcastle chalked up a win that was by no means reflective of the game.
The Hammers were beaten 1-0 in the corresponding match at Anfield earlier in the season in a game from which they really should have left with a point. They missed a penalty and created a number of chances in an incident-packed affair and similar could be on the cards on Wednesday.
Both teams have been involved in goal-heavy games of late, with four of Liverpool's last five matches seeing goal totals of five, four, seven and five. Meanwhile, West Ham have seen goal totals of six, five, four and four in four of their last six games.
No team has a larger difference in actual goals scored against the expected goals scored (-0.46) and this suggests the Irons have not been finishing off their chances. However, they have shown more of a clinical edge in recent weeks and they will be a good match for a Liverpool side that are only slightly away (-0.6) from where they should be regarding xG.
West Ham took half an hour to realise they were in a game in the recent 2-2 draw with Arsenal, but once they got on the scoresheet, they actually had more shots than Arsenal on target (10-9) despite having less than 30% possession.
Wednesday's fixture could take a similar pattern and it looks like going for goals in a game in which both teams can earn a point is a wise course of action.
