Liverpool vs West Ham United - Premier League Preview and Odds

Published on: 11/08/2018

Liverpool vs West Ham United - Premier League Preview and Odds

August 12, 2018 13:30pm - Anfield

Premier League

Champions League finalists Liverpool have spent big this summer and will look to get off to a winning start against a West Ham United side with a new boss at the helm and plenty of new faces in the dressing room.

Last season was a roller coaster ride for Liverpool fans with the highs of their exhilarating Champions League campaign countered by the disappointment of their defeat to Real Madrid in the final. On the domestic front, their target of a top four finish was achieved with five points to spare.

This term, having splashed the cash during the summer transfer window, the Reds will expect to reduce the gap to Manchester City, if not challenge for the title. These raised expectations extend beyond Merseyside with many football experts already tipping Jurgen Klopp`s men for the title. Even the bookies have them as second favourites to lift the Premier League crown.

The Anfield club broke the world transfer record for a goalkeeper, signing Alisson from Roma in a deal worth more than £50m. They have also added Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri to their ranks. Add the £78m spent on Virgil van Dijk in January and they looked well placed to compete for honours.

All of that optimism was backed up in pre-season as the Reds won seven, drew one and lost one of their nine friendly matches beating both Manchester sides, Napoli and Torino in the process.

Meanwhile, after the misery of last year`s campaign which saw tensions between fans and the board come to boiling point, West Ham Unites are looking forward to a new era under boss Manuel Pellegrini. The Chilean already has a Premier League title to his name and has wasted no time overhauling the Hammers` squad.

Recruits include Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Lucas Perez, Issa Diop, Ryan Fredericks, Fabian Balbuena, Lukasz Fabianski and Jack Wilshere. With so many face, it may take a while for the London side to get going but there is reason to hope they can finish in the top half of the table.

During pre-season, Pellegini`s men have shown glimpse of what might come, winning four of seven matches and losing just once, in their first game against Swiss side Winterthur. However, the quality of opposition has been nowhere near the level of Liverpool and they could get a wake-up call on Sunday.

Recent Form (All comps)

Liverpool: WWWWL

West Ham United: WWWWD

Betting odds and tips

West Ham kept one clean sheet in their last five games and could find themselves overwhelmed by a Liverpool side that looks capable of scoring plenty of goals in almost every game. The over 2.5 total goals bet looks like a great choice here but for better odds, the over 3.5 total goals wager is also worth looking at.

Over 2.5 Goals is available at 4/9 while over 3.5 Goals can be backed at 11/10.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 11/08/2018

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (11/08/2018 14:39:50) but are subject to change.