This season has not always gone according to plan for Liverpool, but this weekend, the reigning Premier League champions might be able to take a step in the right direction as the hunt for a spot in next season’s edition of the UEFA Champions League continues.
Liverpool enter the weekend in sixth place, but level on points with Chelsea, one spot ahead. The Champions League berths are likely to extend to fifth place as UEFA’s reward for England’s strong performances across European competition this season. A fortuitous weekend awaits the Reds, who take on relegation-threatened West Ham United on Saturday, while the Blues travel to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday. Irrespective of Chelsea’s performance, though, a win over the Hammers might be easier said than done.
After a dismal start to the season, the great relegation escape is officially underway for West Ham. They have just one loss in their last six Premier League matches, a stretch that includes an important 3-1 win over Sunderland and a surprise 1-1 draw with Champions League spot contenders Manchester United. The Hammers have truly turned things around in that period — they have scored 1.7 goals per game, up from their season-long average of 1.2, while things have tightened up in the back with a record of one goal against per game despite averaging 1.8 goals against per game all season long. Much of it has come down to Crysencio Summerville’s four goals during that stretch, while Jarrod Bowen has contributed with two goals and two assists. A Look at the xG trendline makes it clear, though, West Ham have improved.
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How to watch Liverpool vs. West Ham United, odds
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 28 | Time: 1o a.m. ET
- Location: Anfield — Liverpool, England
- TV: USA Network | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Liverpool -260; Draw +420; West Ham United +600
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Liverpool are not exactly in worse form; they have two losses in their last six in the league, but momentum may favor West Ham, even if the Reds are rightfully the oddsmakers’ choice to win Saturday’s game. The issue is that the Reds have almost dragged themselves through games, never entirely impressive in the midst of an up-and-down season. Take last week’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, who themselves are fighting relegation, as an example – quality opportunities were few and far between for both sides, the Reds only picking up all three points with a goal from Alexis Mac Allister in the 97th minute.
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For coach Arne Slot, it has not helped that he’s had to deal with a batch of injuries at different points in the season, leaving Liverpool slightly understaffed along the way. The Reds have been without Alexander Isak for much of the season through injury, while it’s unclear if Florian Wirtz will be available for selection against West Ham after pulling up with a back injury during warm-ups against Forest last week. Some good news might be on the way — right wing back Jeremie Frimpong, who has not played in a month with a hamstring issue, returned to training on Thursday and could theoretically join his teammates in the matchday squad on Saturday.
Frimpong has the ability to liven up Liverpool’s attack, which has run hot and cold this season. He may be Trent Alexander-Arnold’s designated replacement, but he plays more like a winger than the England international, whose defensive qualities round out his unique skillset. Though he’s played just 18 games in an injury-plagued debut season in England, he has been able to showcase his qualities by creating 11 chances along the way, allowing him to fill in some of the playmaking gaps left behind by Wirtz if he is unable to take part.
The Netherlands international’s injury layoffs are new for him, previously going injury-free during his three seasons with Bayer Leverkusen. He has taken up yoga and pilates to cope with the Premier League’s more physical demands, according to The Athletic, a transition that Slot suggested has also impacted Wirtz.
“We don’t think it is very serious,” Slot said about Wirtz’s injury after the win against Forest. “He wasn’t able to be 100% or even close to 100%. I think after being in this league for six, seven or eight months, he now understands no matter how good you are on the ball, you need to be 100% at this level, so we decided not to play him.”
With or without Frimpong and Wirtz, though, how exactly a stop-start Liverpool attack might handle West Ham’s more organized defense on Saturday is worth asking. Season-long issues about the players who are readily available persist, chief among them Mohamed Salah. The Egypt international has just seven goals across all competitions this season, well behind the 34-goal campaign of the previous campaign that was front-loaded with one of the forward’s best goalscoring runs of his career.
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Hugo Ekitike has helped with 14 goals in his first season in England, while Dominik Szoboszlai has performed a wide range of responsibilities to the best of his abilities and has 10 goals to show for it, though he will miss the West Ham match with an injury of his own.
Even if they come out on top on Saturday, the Reds just might be resigned to trudge through matches for the remainder of the campaign, much as they have all season long.
