Probably the most interesting match in the fourth round of the FA Cup will be at Anfield Road where Liverpool host West Ham on Saturday. The two sides have met in the 2006 FA Cup final, with Steven Gerrard leading the Reds to a penalty shootout triumph. It was the last time Liverpool won the cup and also the last time the Hammers reached the final. This season the two sides have already met twice, and the Hammers won both matches: 3-0 in August at Anfield and 2-0 earlier this month.
Liverpool are still trying to find some sort of consistency this season after having suffered from patchy form both under former boss Brendan Rodgers and under new manager Jurgen Klopp. Last weekend they have shown great fighting spirit to clinch a 5-4 victory at Norwich City and after a few days they managed to overcome Stoke in the League Cup semi-finals, but only after the penalty shootout. In the previous FA Cup round Liverpool struggled to get past Exeter, they needed two matches to prove their superiority. Daniel Sturridge, Martin Skrtel, Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi are not fit to play yet, but Nathaniel Clyne could make his return.
The Hammers are enjoying a very good season and are probably hoping for a good FA Cup run after their impressive league performance so far. They are just one point behind the top five at the moment and clearly above Liverpool. They are unbeaten in their last 11 matches in all competitions, but that good streak includes six draws. Last weekend they held title contenders Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium thanks to a brace from Enner Valencia. Andy Carroll is still out of contention, along with Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho.
Probable line-ups:
Liverpool: Mignolet - Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno - Henderson, Allen, Can - Milner, Benteke, Ibe
West Ham: Adrian - Byram, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell - Kouyate, Song, Noble - Moses, Valencia, Payet
My prediction: Liverpool to win 3-2.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Liverpool win - 2.10
Draw - 3.50
West Ham win - 3.80
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Comments (1)
sharpe
03/01/16, 11:03:56 PM
That match up was another disappointment for Liverpool, they were held to a 0-0 draw by West Ham and lost the rematch in London by 2 goals to 1. West Ham have a...
That match up was another disappointment for Liverpool, they were held to a 0-0 draw by West Ham and lost the rematch in London by 2 goals to 1. West Ham have a really good season and their progress in the FA cup just proves that. Liverpool not quite where their fans expected team to be but this is just so typical for Liverpool in almost any season in the last 20-25 years.
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