West Ham welcome runaway league leaders Liverpool to the London Stadium on Wednesday night to play the game held over from the Reds' Club World Cup campaign.
Liverpool may arrive in the capital on the back of a surprise draw against League One Shrewsbury Town – the first game in ten that they've failed to win – but the champions-elect are clear favourites to extent their unbeaten league run against the relegation-threatened Hammers.
The east Londoners are in a woeful run of form, with David Moyes' new manager bounce lasting all of two game – wins against a woeful Bournemouth side and a third-tier Gillingham FC their only victories under the Scot.
If Liverpool maintain their imperious form in the Premier League, they could be 22 points clear at the top by the time Manchester City next take to the field.
At the other end of the table, West Ham go into the game narrowly perched above the perforated line, ahead of 18th-placed Bournemouth on goal difference alone.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Wednesday 29 January |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (GMT) |
| Where Is It Being Played? | London Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | N/A |
| Referee? | Jonathan Moss |
Team News
Jack Wilshere's injury woes continue, the former Arsenal midfielder struggling with groin issues since October with no sign of an imminent return. Andriy Yarmolenko continues to sit alongside the Englishman in the treatment room, with the winger expected back next month.
Liverpool are also dealing with the possible absence of a star winger as Sadio Mané was left out of the squad which travelled to Shrewsbury on the weekend after being substituted with a thigh injury against Wolves in midweek.
The club is yet to divulge when Mané will return to action, but it's unlikely he'll be risked on Wednesday given the strength in depth Liverpool possess. However, they are also without James Milner until early February as he nurses a thigh injury of his own.
Potential Lineups
| West Ham: | Randolph; Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Noble; Snodgrass, Lanzini, Antonio; Haller. |
| Liverpool: | Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Keita, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Origi. |
Head-to-Head Record
Since the clubs' first meeting in 1901, they have played 139 matches across all competitions, with Liverpool enjoying the superior record of 74 victories to West Ham's 28.
In fact, Liverpool are unbeaten in their three trips to the London Stadium, picking up seven points with an aggregate scoreline of 9-2. However, the European champions' last visit to the former Olympic stadium saw them frustrated in a 1-1 draw, in which Michail Antonio cancelled Mané's opener.
This was Antonio's fourth goal against Liverpool in the league, only Jamie Vardy (seven) and Harry Kane (five) have more than the 29-year-old against Jürgen Klopp's team since the German's arrival.
The versatile 'attacker' may be lumbered with the goalscoring burden once more, with West Ham's primary striker and £45m marquee signing Sébastien Haller finding the net only twice in his last 16 outings.
Recent Form
West Ham started the season with a 5-0 pummelling at home at the hands of Manchester City, but a win over Manchester United took them as high as fifth in September. Since then, they've been on a decline, and a run of one win in six league games has them teetering above the drop.
Should Liverpool open the flood gates, the Reds winning by a four-goal margin or more would see the Hammers swap places with the Cherries in the relegation zone. This would cap off a dismal few days following the 1-0 loss at home to a West Brom side guided by their former West Ham manager Slaven Bilić.
In fact,
Whilst the Reds' Cup exploits on the weekend were less than convincing, they have been pretty much unstoppable in the Premier League this season.
The win against Wolves in midweek was their 40th league game unbeaten – a streak which runs back to the start of 2019 – a
Here are both sides' last five results.
| West Ham | Liverpool |
| West Ham 0-1 West Bromwich Albion (25/01) | Shrewsbury Town 2-2 Liverpool (26/01) |
| Leicester 4-1 West Ham (22/01) | Wolves 1-2 Liverpool (23/01) |
| West Ham 1-1 Everton (18/01) | Liverpool 2-0 Manchester Utd (19/01) |
| Sheffield Utd 1-0 West Ham (10/01) | Tottenham 0-1 Liverpool (11/01) |
| Gillingham 0-2 West Ham (05/01) | Liverpool 1-0 Everton (05/01) |
Prediction
Whilst some optimistic West Ham fans (if there are any) may point towards Liverpool's slip against Shrewsbury as evidence that this side is fallible, 'the kids' – as Klopp calls them – will not be lining up on Wednesday night.
Instead, the Hammers will have to deal with a near full-strength selection of perhaps the greatest team in English football history (they've dropped two points all season and its nearly February) after they've had a week's rest.
With one goal conceded in their last eight league games, if West Ham even get on the score sheet, Moyes' side are entitled to feel some sense of achievement.
No trophies will be dished out on Wednesday night but a thumping might be as Klopp's first team try and show the kids how it's done.
Prediction: West Ham 0-3 Liverpool
Source : 90min