Premier League: Liverpool v West Ham United match preview

A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at Anfield

Luis Suarez will no doubt be the centre of attention, with 22 goals already in the league this season (Getty Images)

Liverpool will seek to keep the pressure on the teams immediately above them against West Ham as they look to maintain their somewhat slim hopes of a top four finish, and with it Champions League football. On paper this match appears a foregone conclusion, considering the Hammers haven’t won at Anfield since 1963, but they will be in buoyant mood following an impressive 3-1 victory over West Brom last Saturday.

Luis Suarez will no doubt be the centre of attention, with 22 goals already in the league this season, but another Liverpool striker will miss out. Andy Carroll is on loan at Upton Park from the Merseyside club and as a result is ineligible to face his parent team.

Joe Cole is not in contention for a game against one of his former clubs. The former West Ham schoolboy returned to the club on a free transfer from Liverpool in January, and would have dearly love to show his former employers what they are missing.

Cole actually played and scored the equaliser as Liverpool came back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 in east London in the corresponding fixture, with the winner coming from another former West Ham charge, full-back Glen Johnson.

KICK-OFF: Sunday, 1.30pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS:

West Ham 2 (Noble, Gerrard og) Liverpool 3 (Johnson, Joe Cole, Shelvey), Premier League, December 2012

West Ham 3 (Parker, Ba, Carlton Cole) Liverpool 1 (Johnson), Premier League, February 2011

Liverpool 3 (Benayoun, Ngog, Green og) West Ham 0, Premier League, November 2010

STATS:

Liverpool are 23 goals better off this season than at the same stage last season. Last season they had scored just 36 goals with 31 games gone, with 59 goals at the same mark this time around.

West Ham have taken just three points from an available 15 in their last 5 away matches.

Luis Suarez is the leading scorer in the Premiership with 22 goals this season. His strikes account for a healthy 37%of Liverpool’s 59 league goals this season.

West Ham, along with Stoke, have the worst scoring record away from home in the Premiership, finding the net just 9 times away from Upton Park.

Liverpool have scored 16 goals in their last five games at home, winning four.

West Ham have the worst record of any team when conceding more than 1 goal in the league this season; the hammers have conceded more than one goal in 12 games, and lost every one.

ODDS:

Liverpool to win: 0.3

West Ham to win: 8.5

Draw: 4.5

CLASSIC MOMENT/MATCH:

Who could forget the most entertaining Cup final of recent times? West Ham went 2-0 up in the first half hour through a Jamie Carragher own goal and a Dean Ashton strike before Liverpool roared back through Djibril Cisse and Steven Gerrard either side of the break. A freak goal from Paul Konchesky looked to have won it for the Hammers, before a wondrous late volley from Liverpool captain Gerrard sent the tie to extra time, with Liverpool winning the subsequent shoot-out 3-1.

TV: Highlights on BBC1 at 10.25pm