Following last Sunday’s 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, Brendan Rodgers and his side have placed themselves very much in the ascendency, knowing that if a current eight-match unbeaten streak is extended to 14 over the remainder of the season, the Premier League trophy will be lifted by the hands of Steven Gerrard come May 11th. Today, they test their mettle against a West Ham team who have racked up 19 points from a possible 30 in their last 10 games to place them high above the drop-zone, and attackers Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing will both take to the field hoping to continue a push for a top-half finish all while looking to place a stumbling block in front of their old club in their chase for the title. But the Hammers have tasted victory just twice against the Anfield outfit in the Premier League (W2, D4, L15) and some players in claret and blue may already be looking forward to the Summer break following a terrific run of form in March which saw them all but guarantee their safety.

Regardless, Liverpool’s attackers will surely have their say in the outcome of the match as they look to add to the 88 goals already scored after just 32 games; a Premier League record. Leading that attack is player of the season in-waiting Luis Suarez, who has scored six goals in his last five games and is just two away from equaling the record of 31 in a 38-game season set by Alan Shearer (1995-96) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2007-08).

Of course for all of the Red’s attacking threat, their defensive frailties are still often on show (especially away from Anfield) and Sam Allardyce will believe that Carroll and Downing can put pressure on a back-four which conceded three to relegation-threatened Cardiff last month. As a result, Brendan Rodgers may well recall Mamadou Sakho to the starting 11 to deal with the high balls West Ham are sure to float in to target-man Carroll on a regular basis.

However, based purely on form, today’s match should be a walk in the (Upton) Park for Liverpool, and they’ll know that if this potential banana-skin of a match is traversed in the same manner as the previous eight victories, three points will be all but guaranteed.

Team News

Liverpool

There are no fresh injures for Brendan Rodgers’ side, but mid-week Jose Enrique’s season was confirmed as being over with the Spaniard still struggling to overcome a knee problem.

West Ham

Captain Kevin Nolan will be available to Sam Allardyce after recovering from a back injury picked up in the game against Sunderland last Monday, but George McCartney is not expected to play due to a hamstring problem suffered in the same game.





