Liverpool vs. West Ham: Premier League betting odds, preview, and pick

Liverpool’s dream of a quadruple are still intact as in the last seven days they made it through to the FA Cup quarterfinals and won the League Cup in a thrilling penalty shoot-out against Chelsea. Now their attention turns back to the league and closing the gap to Manchester City at the top.

West Ham have plenty still to play for this season as well, with a thrilling trip to Sevilla in Europe on the horizon and a battle for a top-four spot still very much alive.

Liverpool are big favorites at home, but can West Ham nick anything from Merseyside?

A Mersey Paradise

Newly crowned League Cup winners Liverpool will have the chance to close the gap at the top of the table to just three points if they beat West Ham on Saturday and continue their dominance on Merseyside this season.

At Anfield, Liverpool’s record this year in all competitions is 16-0-5, and in the Premier League they’ve picked up 33 points from a possible 39. In their 13 league games at home, Liverpool have scored 36 times (2.8 a game) and conceded just seven (0.5 a game). Jurgen Klopp’s men have dominated every team that has shown up at Anfield, and since the turn of the year they’ve won all four league games at home, with a combined score of 14-1.

Liverpool are the form team in the league, being the only side to have won all their last six games, while at the same time winning the League Cup, safely navigating themselves into the FA Cup quarterfinals, and taking a 2-0 lead in their first leg of the Champions League last 16 clash with Inter Milan.

Even the calm and calculated genius that is Klopp would have to admit that is close to perfection.

The Reds were shocked by West Ham in London earlier this season, as David Moyes’ men ran out 3-2 winners in November, but now back at Anfield there is a different narrative. In the last 20 meetings between these sides in Liverpool, the Reds have an almost flawless 15-1-4 record, with the sole defeat coming in August 2015.

Klopp had the luxury of rotating his team for the mid-week FA Cup tie with Norwich, so the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip, Fabinho, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Luis Diaz are all well rested ahead of meeting the Hammers.

Moyes’ boys struggling on the road

West Ham’s season has been superb, with the squad battling for a top-four spot and in the last 16 of the Europa League. If you’d offered that to fans at the start of the season, they would’ve gladly snapped your hand off.

The worry for David Moyes — who will no doubt get a frosty reception back at Anfield having managed rivals Everton and Manchester United — is that the Hammers are in danger of running out of steam at a pivotal point in the year.

In the form table for the last six games, West Ham sit in 11th, having picked up just eight points from a possible 18. That includes a defeat at home to Leeds and dropped points against Leicester and Newcastle.

Away from home it’s even more concerning, as they’ve won just two of their last 10 (2-5-3) and they haven’t beaten a top-half side away from home all year. They have a 0-4-1 record on the road to teams in the top half and have failed to score in four of those matches — Manuel Lanzini’s stoppage time consolation goal against Manchester City is the only exception.

In those five away games, they’ve lost the shot count 60-24 and managed just 11 shots on target in seven-and-a-half hours of football.

In contrast to Liverpool, West Ham played a full-strength team in Wednesday’s FA Cup match away to Southampton, so they’re unlikely to be as fresh as Liverpool as the Hammers hit the road again.

Liverpool vs. West Ham Betting Trends

• West Ham have failed to score in 38% of their Premier League away games this season
• Liverpool have scored two or more goals in 11 of their 13 home league games this year
• There have been Over 2.5 goals in 69% of Liverpool’s home games this season
• Seven of West Ham’s eight losses in the league this year have been by a single goal
• Nine of the last 11 meetings between West Ham and Liverpool have had Over 2.5 goals
• Both teams have scored in eight of the last 11 games between West Ham and Liverpool

Klopp’s men to smash Hammers

West Ham have kept things close in most of their losses this season, but unfortunately for the Hammers that run may end at Anfield. This fixture historically has thrown up some high-scoring thrillers, and while I expect there will be goals, they’re only going one way.

Liverpool’s Anfield dominance combined with West Ham’s road troubles should lead to a comfortable victory for the Reds, who meet a Hammers side in a dip in form. Klopp’s men are the exact opposite and are hunting down Man City at the top of the table. Take them to keep a clean sheet here, and January signing Luis Diaz can add his second Premier League goal to his tally.

Score prediction: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham (+750)

Liverpool vs. West Ham: Both teams to score, no (-112)

Same Game Combo: Liverpool to win, both teams to score (no), Under 3.5 goals, Luis Diaz to score (+800)