Premier League Matchday 32: West Ham vs. Liverpool
Start Time: 1:45 p.m. CST on April 26, 2023
Location: London Stadium, England
FanDuel Betting Odds: West Ham +290; Draw +290; Liverpool -115
West Ham (14th in the Premier League); Manager: David Moyes
Recent Results: 4-0 win vs. Bournemouth (Premier League); 4-1 win vs. K.A.A. Gent (Europa Conference League); 2-2 draw vs. Arsenal (Premier League).
Liverpool (7th in the Premier League); Manager: Jurgen Klopp
Recent Results: 3-2 win vs. Nottingham Forest (Premier League); 6-1 win vs. Leeds (Premier League); 2-2 draw vs. Arsenal (Premier League).
FotMob Projected Lineups:
West Ham has suddenly hit a good patch of form, but their resilience will be tested when a surging Liverpool visits the London Stadium on Wednesday for some Premier League action. The Hammers come into this matchup sitting 14th in the table, six points away from safety with seven matches to go.
The momentum from the second-half surge in the UECL quarter-finals carried over to the weekend, as West Ham served a beat down on the south coast. The Hammers scored two headers within the first 12 minutes, and a Rice half-volley made it three before halftime. And an acrobatic finish from Fornals with 20 minutes to go sealed all three points for West Ham.
For how strong Bournemouth have performed in the past two weeks, I was surprised to see the Cherries just fall apart on Sunday. Wednesday's opponent will surely provide a tougher challenge, as Jurgen Klopp's Reds are pushing for a European spot.
The goals are coming thick and fast for Liverpool at the moment. Mo Salah and Diego Jota both have four goals in their last three matches and don't forget about Darwin Nunez, who will shoot from anywhere.
But perhaps the biggest reason for Liverpool's recent success has been the play of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 24-year-old has four assists in his last three matches, as he's playing an adjusted role in Klopp's system.
Tifo IRL made a great video recently about this change. The idea is that when Liverpool get the ball, their defense switches to a back three, and Trent moves into a midfield diamond as a 6. This allows him to spray long balls and show his creativity from a more advanced role.
The reverse fixture was played at Anfield back in October, as Liverpool won 1-0. Nunez opened up the scoring early on, and Bowen missed a penalty to equalize late in the first half.
I'm not going to lie I've been quite negative about the Hammers over the past few weeks, and rightfully so. Brighton, Newcastle, and even Gent away were all shocking displays from an underperforming West Ham side.
However after three consecutive solid performances, I have no choice but to believe the Hammers are back! But so are Liverpool, so I think the sides will split the points in a competitive Premier League fixture.
Premier League Matchday 32 Prediction: West Ham 2 Liverpool 2
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