Liverpool against West Ham — Preview
Posted on | August 25, 2006 | No Comments
Its the rematch of the FA Cup final of last season. And if the FA Cup final is anything to go by, we are in for a cracker as Liverpool entertain West Ham at Anfield. The Cup final was won by the Merseysiders on penalties after it ended 3-3 in regulation time.Liverpool will be looking to reinforce their superiority at Anfield while West Ham are still chasing their 150th Premier League victory after only being able to draw against lowly Watford in midweek.
Buoyed by their qualification into the group stage of the Champions League, Liverpool will be looking for their first victory of this year’s Premiership campaign. But they have a long injury list to worry about. Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise are sure to be absent in defence. And with Gabriel Palleta and Stephen Warnock likely to miss the game as well, the onus will be on the experienced heads of Hyppia and Finnan to marshal the defence. Mohammad Sissoko and Harry Kewell are the high-profile absentees in midfield. Gerrard and Xabi Alonso will start in the centre of midfield, while Pennant and Zenden will man the wings. Big money signing Dirk Kuyt should make his Premier League debut, but whether he will start or not is not sure. A 1-1 draw against Sheffield United was not the way the 5 time European champions would have liked to start their campaign and they will be keen to take all three points from this one.
West Ham were pushed on the backfoot at Vicarage Road and were lucky to escape with a point. They will have to improve their performance if they want to get out of Anfield with a point, if not all three. Talismanic winger Matthew Etherington is out of the clash with a knee injury and there are serious doubts over Lee Bowyer and Yossi Benayoun making the line-up. Bobby Zamora has made a thunderous start to the new season, scoring thrice in two games and will be Liverpool’s main threat. A win at Anfield would equal West Ham’s best ever start to the Premiership campaign, but as of now it looks highly unlikely.
My Verdict: Liverpool 2-1 West Ham. Robbie Fowler and Dirk Kuyt to score for the Reds. Zamora to nick one for the Hammers.West Ham have never won at Anfield so far and I do not expect that to change.
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