French defender Mamadou Sakho is likely to miss out the visit of West Ham United on Saturday, after sustaining a back injury in the Capital One Cup in mid-week.

Sakho appeared to be carrying a knock before the game versus Chelsea on Tuesday night, coming out of the tunnel seeming to complain of a back problem. Regardless, the £18-million defender started in the back three before being replaced by Glen Johnson in the 57th minute.

The 24-year-old has been critical to the Reds' recent defensive improvement, starting every game since a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on December 17th, and will be assessed by the club's medical team ahead of the game against the Hammers at Anfield.

Sakho is understood to be a doubt for the game against Sam Allardyce's 7th-placed side, who sit a point above Liverpool.

Brendan Rodgers is likely to turn to the services of either Johnson or Dejan Lovren, who has not featured in recent weeks, despite being the most expensive centre-back in the club's history.

The Croatian hasn't played since Sakho came into the side in the Capital One Cup tie down on the South Coast, after a stuttering start to his career on Merseyside.

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Charlie Malam
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.