Liverpool v West Ham
Live on BT Sport 1
Saturday 30th January, 17:30
Live on BT Sport 1
Saturday 30th January, 17:30
Liverpool
Previewing a Liverpool game is one of the toughest tasks for a sports betting writer at the moment. I just don't know what to make of them.
The sheer drama of last weekend's incredible 5-4 win at Carrow Road somewhat overshadowed the fact that the Reds were, for the majority of the game, pretty damn poor. Defensively they were once again at sixes and sevens, and even after scoring five goals you couldn't say that they were particularly creative or incisive going forwards.
Then again in midweek they were, arguably, outplayed in a 1-0 defeat to Stoke, before a penalty shootout triumph stole all the headlines and deflected attention away from the performance. I feel you now have to go back a whole two months to the 6-1 demolition of Southampton for the last time that the Reds played well as a team.
On the plus side, Roberto Firmino now has four goals in his last four starts, and Simon Mignolet will also have taken great confidence from the part that he played in the penalty shootout win in midweek.
West Ham
It's a sign of how far West Ham have come this season that they were left disappointed by a 2-2 draw against Manchester City last weekend. The Hammers have now lost only one of their last 11 matches in all competitions, and having beaten Liverpool twice already this season they will come into this weekend's game in high spirits.
A run of five draws throughout the late part of November and beginning of December were turned into victories as the brilliant Dimitri Payet returned to the starting XI. The Frenchman was once again superb in the draw with City on Saturday and would have been on the scoresheet but for an incredible save from Joe Hart.
Enner Valencia's goals have also been pivotal, with the Ecuadorian netting four in his last three outings and it's now seven games since the Hammers failed to score in a match. That run of three consecutive goalless draws in mid-December, at a time when Slaven Bilic was without his main attacking weapons, are looking increasingly valuable.
Match Odds
Having already beaten Liverpool twice this season, having lost only once in their last 11 games and having not been subjected to a gruelling 120 minutes plus penalties in midweek, I'd say that West Ham offer huge value at odds of 4.00 to win this one.
Not only should we consider the physical toll that the midweek Capital One Cup semi-final win will have taken on the hosts, but also the mental energy they must have exerted on Tuesday night in addition to that rollercoaster nine-goal thriller at Carrow Road just seven days ago. The Reds can be forgiven for coming into this game emotionally drained.
If you want to take a conservative approach then Jurgen Klopp's side are a Layable price at around 2.10, but I'll be sticking to my guns and going with the Hammers to complete a treble over Liverpool this season at a generous 4.00.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
The way that Liverpool have defended of late, it's almost a no-brainer to back the Over 2.5 Goals selection here at odds of around 2.00. West Ham also tend to concede more goals when they have their best attacking talent available to them, and with Payet and Valencia expected to start that also points towards a high-scoring game.
There's sometimes a danger of overcomplicating these things, so I'll keep it simple; get on the Over 2.5 Goals selection.
To Score
Enner Valencia's goals could be the difference between the two teams this weekend and I like the look of the 4.00 about him finding the back of the net at anytime in the game. With Dimitri Payet's flair the Hammers can create plenty of chances, and Valencia is in the sort of form to be putting them away - as he has done in the last few weeks.
Recommended Bets
2pts Back West Ham to win @ 4.00
2pts Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.00
2pts Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.00
