West Ham United vs Liverpool: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 33, 2023

The Hammers look to continue their fine form in the battle to avoid the drop while the visitors have European ambitions on their mind.

West Ham United vs Liverpool: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 33, 2023
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
calumritchie
By Calum Ritchie

Liverpool travel to face West Ham at the London Stadium after both sides have picked up seven points from their previous three Premier League fixtures.

The two teams met in a tight contest at Anfield in October with the Merseysiders picking up a narrow 1-0 win on that occasion.

Both still have ambitions for the remainder of the season with the home team looking to stay in the league and the away side hoping to be playing in Europe next season.

West Ham managed to put themselves in a very strong position in their quest to maintain their Premier League status as they defeated Bournemouth 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

They moved into 13th place in the league table while also holding a game in hand on the teams below them.

Confidence was high following a league win at Fulham before fighting back to nick a 2-2 draw at home against league leaders, Arsenal.

The club also secured their place in a European semi-final with a midweek win over AA Gent.

Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta scored headers inside the first 12 minutes to start the game in strong fashion against Bournemouth.

A thumping Declan Rice volley made it 3-0 shortly before the break as David Moyes' side began to show confidence that has been rarely seen this season.

A beautiful scorpion-kick finish was the icing on the cake as substitute  Pablo Fornals got in on the act.

(Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)

 

Liverpool makes the journey to London as a team still finding their feet in a new system. 

Jurgen Klopp made several adjustments to how his side set up in the 6-1 romp away against Leeds United.

Those changes were kept the same and personnel was also unchanged for a 3-2 home win against West Ham's relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.

A well-taken brace from Diogo Jota and a well-timed Mohamed Salah volley ensured the Reds overcame a resilient side on the day.

All three of their goals came from set-piece situations and this will give the home side something to think about in the upcoming fixture.

  • Team News

West Ham

Despite playing a lot of games recently, the Hammers are doing relatively well on the injury front.

Summer signing, Gianluca Scamacca, is the only player to be ruled out for the upcoming game as he will miss the rest of the season after recently having surgery.

Paqueta looked to be struggling with a minor issue during the win at Bournemouth but appears to have come out unscathed.

This means Moyes could name an unchanged line-up with Danny Ings possibly being in contention due to the amount of football Antonio has played in recent weeks.

Liverpool

Unfortunately for Liverpool, they are not in as good shape as their upcoming opponents.

Youngsters Stefan Bajcetic and Calvin Ramsey have been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with long-term injuries.

Roberto Firmino is also set to be absent from this match with Klopp admitting he does not know when the Brazilian will return, if at all.

(Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

 

Luis Diaz made substitute appearances in the wins over Leeds and Nottingham Forest and is yet to start a game since recovering from his lengthy spell on the sidelines. 

Curtis Jones has proven to be a useful option but could lose his place in the starting team as Thiago is now back to full fitness.

Fabinho will face a two-game suspension if he receives a booking in this encounter and this will no doubt be in Klopp's thinking when putting the team together.

  • Likely Line-Ups

West Ham

Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Ings

Liverpool

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago; Salah, Gakpo, Jota

  • Key Players

West Ham: Declan Rice

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

 

A big talking point when it comes to Liverpool this season is the fact that they constantly lose the midfield battle.

Particularly in away games this season, it costs them more often than not and this is how West Ham can really grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

If Rice continues his fine form and gets stuck into the Liverpool midfield, there will be no competition due to his work rate and physicality.

He has also shown an ability to contribute going forward as he was crucial in the play leading to a penalty against Arsenal before scoring in his next two games also.

It might be a farewell tour for the captain, but he is definitely going out with a bang as things stand.

Liverpool: Trent Alexander-Arnold

(Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
(Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

 

As previously mentioned, there has been a change to the Liverpool system.

This change has been made to get the best out of their most creative player, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He has been asked to play an inverted role in the last 3 league games, in a similar vein to Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal.

Everyone saw the best of his playmaking abilities in the Elland Road thrashing of Leeds.

He was a lot less stable in the win on Saturday as Nottingham Forest afforded him a lot less time on the ball.

When Alexander-Arnold is able to get on the ball and pick out passes at will, Liverpool can cause all sorts of danger to any opposition.

It will be interesting to see if Klopp and his coaching staff have identified ways of changing his role slightly and making any tactical tweaks in this game.

  • Match Details

Where is the game being played?

West Ham are the hosts as Liverpool make the journey to the London Stadium, London.

When is the match?

The match will take place on Wednesday 26th April at 19:45 (BST).

How can I watch the match?

Those watching live from the UK can see the game on BT Sport with coverage starting at 19:00 (BST). You can also follow updates live on social media.