please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Hello and welcome to the official match thread for Sunday’s Barclays Premier League encounter between Liverpool & West Ham United. The game is scheduled to take place at Anfield on Sunday 7th of April 2013 with a kick-off time of 1.30PM. English T.V won’t be showing the game but streams showing the game will be posted on this thread before and during the game. talkSPORT has the radio rights to the game. Preview. Liverpool host West Ham United on Sunday afternoon with both sides looking for the three points for different reasons. The home side, Liverpool, still harbour outside hopes of finishing in a position which would secure European football next season. (Brendan Rodgers side are currently five points behind Arsenal in 5th) If Liverpool are to push towards 5th & 6th positions in the league, wins will be needed in almost all of Liverpool’s last seven games starting on Sunday. Even if that happens, Liverpool will need the sides above them to slip up so it’s certainly a hard task for the red half of Merseyside. West Ham, on the other hand, will be looking for the three points to take another step towards securing their Premier League status for another season. With Sam Allardyce’s side currently on 36 points, you could argue that a couple of wins would give them a points total which would see them secure Premier League football for another season. Both sides go into today’s encounter with victories in their last Premier League game. Liverpool travelled to the West Midlands to take on Aston Villa with both sides needing the points for very different reasons. Aston Villa took the lead through Christian Benteke but Liverpool fought back and a chipped finish from Jordan Henderson brought the game back level at 1-1 before a Steve Gerrard penalty secured the three points for Liverpool and condemned Aston Villa to another home defeat. (Their 8th home league defeat of the season) That result kept Liverpool in 7th place and only 3 points behind their Merseyside rivals, Everton, in 6th place. On the other hand, West Ham were at home as they took on West Bromwich Albion. It was an excellent performance from Sam Allardyce's men with the Hammers running out 3-1 winners. The game was notable for a strong performance from Andy Carroll who scored his fourth & fifth goals of the season since joining West Ham, on loan, from Liverpool in August. Carroll scored West Ham’s opener and their third goal and produced an all-round dominating performance which certainly impressed the West Ham manager. The fact that he is ineligible for today’s game due to the term of the loan that took him to Upton Park creates some issues for Sam Allardyce to consider. Onto the teams now and let’s take a look at Liverpool. With Brendan Rodgers only reporting one new injury concern in the shape of Raheem Sterling, you can expect that Rodgers will make either no changes to the side that beat Aston Villa or a very low number of changes. In an attacking sense, Liverpool have been doing well of late so wholesale change seem very unlikely. Daniel Sturridge could come into the attack replacing one of Stewart Downing or Philippe Coutinho and that could see Luis Suarez move into a role either wide or just behind the striker. If this does happen, it could see Liverpool go to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Sturridge up top and the trio of: Downing – Suarez - Coutinho playing behind Sturridge. This is a very attacking line-up and leaves Liverpool playing effectively four attackers. However, this could leave Liverpool short in the centre of midfield and one of Lucas Leiva, Steven Gerrard or Jordan Henderson would be relegated to the bench. With all three being important to the Liverpool side, 4-3-3 as a formation could also be used. This would give Liverpool extra strength in the middle of the park which would be important to gaining a foothold in the game. Onto West Ham now and you would expect that they will play either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-5-1 with just the one striker upfront and looking to pack the midfield, pressure Liverpool on and off the ball and look to nick a goal on the counter. As I have already mentioned, Andy Carroll is ineligible due to the terms of his loan from Liverpool to West Ham so it is likely that you will see Carlton Cole come in to replace Carroll with Kevin Nolan just in behind. Matt Jarvis and Ricardo Vaz Te are expected to fill the wider attacking positions and this does give West Ham an opportunity to catch Liverpool on the counter as Jarvis & Vaz Te have pace to burn. In the middle of the park, you can expect to see Mohamed Diame play and the battle between him and Lucas Leiva in the central midfield position will be crucial. In the reserve fixture (A 3-2 win for Liverpool) Diame was a massive influence on the game and you could argue that him leaving the field with an injury was the turning point in the game. Whoever wins that battle will most likely have control over the tempo of the game and that will allow them to create chance to possibly win the game. So, an interesting game in prospect! Will Liverpool continue their good recent run of form at Anfield and continue to push towards a top six spot in the Premier League? Or will West Ham collect the three points which will all but secure their Premier League status for another season? You’ll find out the answers to these questions, and more, on the official match thread on the Not606 Liverpool board. Do join in. (That includes the guests that read this thread. Sign up and get involved!) Injury News. Liverpool. Martin Kelly: ACL Knee Injury. Joe Allen: Shoulder Injury. Raheem Sterling: Thigh Injury* Fabio Borini: Shoulder Injury. West Ham United. George McCartney: Knee Injury. Mark Noble: Arm Injury. Joe Cole: Hamstring Injury. *Indicates the player could be available for today’s game. Suspension/Other News. Liverpool. No suspensions currently recorded. West Ham United. Andy Carroll is ineligible for Sunday’s game due to the terms of his loan to West Ham United from Liverpool. Liverpool 0 - 0 West Ham United Goalscorers: Liverpool: Reina - Johnson Carragher Agger Enrique - Gerrard Lucas - Coutinho Suarez Assaidi - Sturridge SUBS: Jones Coates Skrtel Henderson Shelvey Downing Suso - Liverpool Substitution: Stewart Downing comes off to be replaced by Daniel Sturridge. (25th minute) Liverpool Substitution: Jordan Henderson comes off to be replaced by Oussama Assaidi. (71st minute) - West Ham United: Jaaskelainen - Demel Pogatetz Collins O'Brien - Taylor O'Neil Diame Collison Jarvis - Cole SUBS: Henderson Potts Tomkins Nolan Vaz Te Chamakh Maiga - West Ham United Substitution: Kevin Nolan comes off to be replaced by Matt Taylor. (62nd minute) West Ham United Substitution: Ricardo Vaz Te comes off to be replaced by Jack Collison. (62nd minute) West Ham United Substitution: James Tomkins comes off to be replaced by Emanuel Pogatetz. (82nd minute) - YNWA.
Good thread Chris. I can see this being quite a tight game tbh, but glad Cole and Carroll aren't playing, you just know players that haven't cut it at anfield are likely to hurt you. Controlling the midfield is the key, and I hope BR has learnt from the away game, where we were 2nd best until Diame got injured. To me, this means he should pick the same team as last week.
Hoping for a good performance here and of course 3 points. West Ham are one of those teams I don't like and I therefor hate getting beaten by them.
i'm just waiting for the team news. if hendo is out for sturridge then i've predicted rodgers and therefore know he's a clown.
Going all out for the loss today... - predicted us to win; - wearing the home shirt; & - bet a bet on Suarez to bag a hat-trick
going to put on my lucky shirt now... I agree about first goal. allardyce is all about targeted games. the question is has he targeted this one as a win or a draw. if they come to defend and sit deep then i think coutinho could be the one. Put him in my FF team this week for bale. however if they over run the midfield due to rodgers picking only lucas and gerrard and we live off scraps then i'll not be happy... still the lucky shirt will see us right in any case.
Some say I have psychic powers. The others will soon be proved right... Hopefully the team is Reina; Glen, Carra, Agger, Enrique; Lucas, Gerrard, Hendo; Suarez, Coutinho; Sturridge
Agree with that team Hendo has to start! I'd like to see how well that front three does, don't think Downing will get dropped though
yes...... we do. we need to dominate possession and 4-3-3 works. under anchelotti chelsea hammered an awful lot of teams and set reocrds never deviating from 4-3-3-3 if playing this fress johnson and enrique to move more forward safely and puts west ham on the back foot then there should be mroe than enough quality to score in the team.... but downing.... gotta see sturridge come in.
If we have any pretensions of being a top four team then this is the type of game were we should be confident of an easy win. There again I said that about Southampton not realising BR was going to set us up in such a way as to play to their strengths.
they are flaming cheats.... i'm stuttering a bit today... i have a kid hanging off me annyoing me while i try to ignore the family. its very distracting on match day.
Most would maybe try for one extra but not Chelsea... Know how it is on here whilst watching the kids, do it most days
