Liverpool take on West Ham United on Saturday, in what will be the fourth game of our new Premier League campaign. After the Reds made the perfect start against Stoke and Bournemouth and held Arsenal to a hugely respectable draw last Monday, Brendan Rodgers’ side will no doubt be hoping to keep up our fine form.
The Hammers, who started the season with a hugely impressive win at the Emirates Stadium, have struggled to live up to that form since then – losing back-to-back games against Leicester City and Bournemouth.
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With that in mind, here are five key battles that could decide the game:
5) Philippe Coutinho vs Darren Randolph
With Adrian suspended following his red card against Leicester, we’ll be up against West Ham’s number two, who didn’t have the best of afternoon’s against Bournemouth – conceding four times. Philippe Coutinho, who netted that fabulous winner against Stoke and came close to scoring against Arsenal last time out, will relish the chance to face a goalkeeper who’s likely to be very nervous. Don’t be surprised to see the odd long range effort flying in.
4) Jordon Ibe vs Aaron Cresswell
Cresswell was among the best left-backs in the country last season but has struggled so far this year. He could well be up against the returning Jordon Ibe, whose pace and skill are enough to frighten any defender, even when they’re playing well. This is a big opportunity for Jordon to get at his man and show us the same sort of form that we were enjoying seeing from him during pre-season. Equally, Cresswell will need to be at his best to stop him.
3) James Milner vs Mark Noble
The battle of the old-fashioned, hard-working English midfielders. Noble has been a hugely influential player for the Hammers over the last decade and is underestimated at our peril. However, Milner has been super so far and needs to prove once again that he’s the right man to lead this Liverpool side forward, particularly in the continued absence of captain Jordan Henderson. Surely he’d love to get his first Reds goal while wearing the armband?
2) Dejan Lovren vs Diafra Sakho
Sakho, despite an injury scare during the week, looks set to make the game and will be the most obvious threat to both our defence and our hugely impressive clean sheet record – which currently reads three out of three. We put Dejan Lovren in this feature every week and talk about how important it is for him to maintain his recent form, and this week is no different. Perhaps, if he plays well again this week, we’ll begin to trust him a little bit more!
1) Christian Benteke vs Winston Reid
This is a big opportunity for the big man to really make an impression. He’s already score one, but he’d love a couple more to truly endear himself to the Anfield faithful. West Ham are struggling for form and appear to be there for the taking, so we need to press that advantage home and ensure we take all three points away from the game. Winston Reid, one of the Premier League’s most underrated defenders, will be the man trying to stop him.
