West Ham and Liverpool clash at the London Stadium this afternoon in a meeting of two teams seeking redemption for miserable defeats to city rivals in recent days.
The Reds were consigned to a deserved 2-0 loss at Everton, while David Moyes’ side crashed to a 5-2 humbling away to Crystal Palace last weekend.
Previewing the fixture for the Liverpool Echo, Paul Gorst identified one Irons player in particular who could trouble the visitors today if he gets into full flow.
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The journalist wrote for the publication’s live matchday blog (11:43): “I have to say West Ham’s front four is quite imposing, isn’t it? Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Michail Antonio are all excellent players and Liverpool will have their hands full today defensively, I am sure.
“I particularly like Paqueta, who was excellent at Anfield earlier in the season. It’s easy to see why the classy Brazilian has been catching admiring glances from Manchester City. Liverpool’s midfield will have to be so switched on defensively today, particularly [Wataru] Endo.”
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The Brazilian playmaker is indeed someone whose influence Liverpool must try to curb as much as possible today, having racked up 15 goal contributions in 39 appearances so far this season (Transfermarkt).
As Gorst rightly points out, the 26-year-old impressed in the reverse fixture at Anfield seven months ago, winning a mammoth 13 duels and succeeding with all six dribbles that he attempted (Sofascore).
The return of Bowen to the starting XI could also spell danger for the Reds, with the England winger having scored in both of West Ham’s matches against us earlier in the season and struck 19 times in total throughout the campaign (Transfermarkt).
Kudus also has form for scoring against us, having done so with Ajax in the Champions League group stage last season.
Gorst is right to highlight the threat that the Irons’ front four could pose, especially against a Liverpool defence which has looked porous recently, but we’d like to think that having already come up against Moyes twice in the current campaign, Klopp will have done his homework on the east Londoners.