Liverpool vs West Ham United. Premier League.
Anfield.
Fabinho out for Liverpool with Thiago Alcantara to be assessed; West Ham will be missing Michail Antonio; Liverpool vs West Ham is live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm on Saturday Night Football; kick-off at 5.30pm
Saturday 31 October 2020 16:29, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Liverpool vs West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday; Kick-off 5.30pm.
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Liverpool will be without Fabinho for the visit of West Ham.
The Brazil midfielder, who has been deputising in defence in place of Virgil van Dijk, pulled up with a hamstring injury during Tuesday night's Champions League clash with Midtjylland.
Reds boss Klopp said: "He will be out for the weekend and probably slightly longer."
However, captain Jordan Henderson is ready to feature after his half-time substitution in midweek while Van Dijk has undergone "successful" knee surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament damage he sustained in the Merseyside derby. Thiago Alcantara is building up his fitness and will be assessed.
In-form West Ham forward Michail Antonio has been ruled out of Saturday's trip to Liverpool, but David Moyes is hopeful he will not be missing for too long.
Antonio, who has scored three goals this season and 11 since the restart, limped off with a hamstring injury against Manchester City last weekend.
Sebastien Haller or Andriy Yarmolenko will replace Antonio in attack. Said Benrahma could also be added to the squad for the first time since his switch from Brentford.
Liverpool vs West Ham will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm on Saturday Night Football; kick-off at 5.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Liverpool's 'injury crisis' could lead a few predictor folk to put their faith in West Ham this Saturday evening. Do not go there.
Virgil van Dijk's long-term injury has given Jurgen Klopp plenty to ponder in terms of his selections at centre-back. He may have to turn to youth as it is unclear whether Joel Matip will have recovered from a muscle injury to play at Anfield.
However, with Alisson back in goal, Liverpool surely will be sturdy enough to keep it tight enough at the back, especially with their front three looking red hot up the other end. The drop off from Alisson to Adrian is far greater than Van Dijk to Matip, according to my eye.
It would not surprise me to see a Liverpool winning run take shape between now and Christmas.
Liverpool's potentially makeshift defence will be in for an easier night than if Michail Antonio was fit. His injury is a big blow for David Moyes, who has intelligently made the skillset of Antonio a key part of the way West Ham counter. Without him, West Ham will lose their out ball, especially away from home - he was the catalyst for their impressive win at Leicester. In two games where Antonio has been missing on the road under Moyes, West Ham lost both matches to an aggregate score of 5-1.
If Liverpool score early, then the floodgates may open here.
JONES KNOWS PREDICTS: 3-0 (9/1 with Sky Bet)
Jamie Redknapp joins Peter Smith on this week's show to look ahead to Sunday's showdown between Man Utd and Arsenal and says there are more questions than answers at Old Trafford as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer prepares for his 100th game in charge.
Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O'Connor has the latest on Liverpool's injury problems and discusses the young players who could cover at centre-back.
And Sky Sports statistician Matt Cheetham picks out the numbers which explain why Everton's defeat at Southampton could just be a blip, and makes his bold Pitch for what will happen in the Premier League this weekend.
Listen to the Sky Sports Pitch to Post Podcast on: Spotify | Apple | Castbox
