West Ham vs Liverpool preview, team news, stats, kick-off time, live on Sky Sports

Arthur Masuaku is the only injury absentee for West Ham while Liverpool duo Joel Matip and Fabinho have been ruled out; follow West Ham vs Liverpool on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4pm on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm

Sunday 31 January 2021 17:53, UK

Team news and stats ahead of West Ham vs Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm.

Team news

West Ham have an almost fully-fit squad to face champions Liverpool.

Wing-back Arthur Masuaku is the only injury absentee as he recovers from knee surgery.

Defender Joel Matip and midfielder Fabinho have been ruled out to give Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp more problems at centre-back.

Matip injured ankle ligaments in Thursday's win at Tottenham, a match Fabinho - who has been Klopp's preferred cover in central defence - sat out with a minor muscle problem and neither will play at the weekend.

It means Klopp is likely to field either Nat Phillips or Rhys Williams alongside Jordan Henderson, himself a stop-gap centre-back, in what will be their 12th different partnership in the Premier League this season.

How to follow

West Ham vs Liverpool will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4pm on Sunday; kick-off at 4.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Free highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

Download the Sky Sports Scores App: Apple | Android
The UK's No 1 scores app: Find out more

Jones Knows' prediction

If West Ham beat Liverpool, they will have won seven games in a row for just the third time in their history.

David Moyes is now the second coming of Sir Alex Ferguson again.

But like with all football narratives that gather widespread attention, West Ham and their manager are being significantly overpraised, like, when things were going badly for Moyes his ability as a manager was never as rotten as many made out. It is the way of the world these days.

Transfer Talk: Can Lingard reignite his career at West Ham?

Does beating Crystal Palace, Doncaster, West Brom, Burnley, Stockport and Everton deserve praise? Of course. Has Moyes surpassed expectations? Of course. Does it deserve a statue being built outside the ground? Hardly.

If they come through this acid test, then I will start to take the Hammers seriously as top-six contenders.

Moyes has notoriously struggled against the red side of Merseyside, failing to win in his last 13 encounters with them. Between Sadio Mane's goal vs West Brom on December 27 and Roberto Firmino's goal vs Tottenham, Liverpool went 93 shots, 18 shots on target and 482 minutes without scoring, registering an expected goals figure of 7.8.

On Thursday they reminded everyone of their relentlessness. There should not be too many problems here.

JONES KNOWS PREDICTS: 1-3 (12/1 with Sky Bet)

Opta stats

West Ham United are winless in nine Premier League matches against Liverpool (D2 L7), their worst such run against them since going 10 without a win between September 2000 and January 2007.
Liverpool lost their last three matches at Upton Park in all competitions but are unbeaten in all four of their games at London Stadium (W3 D1).
Liverpool could become the second team to go unbeaten in their five Premier League away games at London Stadium, after Manchester City (W4 D1).
The only stadium at which Liverpool have played more top-flight league matches without losing than London Stadium (4) is Wimbledon's Plough Lane, playing five games there between 1986/87 and 1990/91 without defeat (W4 D1).
West Ham have won each of their last six games in all competitions - only twice in their history have they won seven in a row, doing so between November/December 1985 and January/February 2006.

Liverpool have only lost one of their last 31 Premier League games played on a Sunday (W21 D9), with that defeat coming at Aston Villa earlier this season (2-7). Each of the Reds' last three league games on Sunday have finished level.
West Ham's first two Premier League wins this season were 4-0 against Wolves and 3-0 against Leicester. Since then, the Hammers have won eight more league games, with each of these victories being by a one-goal margin.
Michail Antonio has scored more goals against Liverpool in the Premier League than any other player for West Ham (4 in 6 appearances). All four goals have come against Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool.
Since the 2017/18 season, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has scored in six of his seven Premier League games against West Ham, netting seven goals.
Tomas Soucek's seven Premier League goals have been worth 10 points to West Ham so far this season. The last player whose goals earned the Hammers more points in a single Premier League campaign was Dean Ashton in 2007-08 (11).

Pitch to Post Preview - Arsenal v Man Utd build-up, plus: Man City's title charge, Liverpool's return to form, and problems for Tottenham

In this week's Pitch to Post Preview Podcast Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp joins Peter Smith to look ahead to the big Saturday night clash between Arsenal and Manchester United, and gives his verdict on Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard - and why Man Utd slipped up against Sheffield United.

We also get the inside story on Man City's title pursuit from Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom, who explains how one City star has been transformed by Pep Guardiola's methods this season.

And Sky Sports feature writer Adam Bate reflects on Liverpool's much-needed win at Tottenham - and the injuries sustained which could impact both sides. Plus he makes his Pitch for what will happen in the next round of Premier League games…

Listen to the Sky Sports Pitch to Post Podcast on: Spotify | Apple | Castbox

Around Sky

Get Sky Sports

Get Sky Sports

Upgrade Now

Stream with NOW

Stream brilliant TV Shows with NOW