There may be a gap of 15 points between these teams but both Liverpool and West Ham have genuine targets at the right end of the Premier League table. For Jurgen Klopp’s men, it is all about maintaining the pressure on Manchester City and looking to claim their second EPL title in three years.
David Moyes’ Hammers are in fifth place and haven’t given up hope of sealing that final Champions League slot. The match odds may point to a clear winner but West Ham’s positive campaign suggests that Saturday’s 5.30pm kick off could be much closer. How will it pan out? This preview, and its betting tips, plans to tell you.
Second-placed Liverpool lead the result market by some margin and you can back the home win at best odds of 1/3 in places. The draw is the next option at a general 9/2 while victory for West Ham is out at 9/1.
The Reds have that 15-point advantage over Saturday’s opponents while they lead the Premier League form table with a perfect record of six wins in their last six matches. West Ham have picked up just eight points in that same period so perhaps we shouldn’t be looking beyond the favourites.
The one statistic in the Hammers’ favour dates back to November when they beat Liverpool at the London Stadium by three goals to two. Results have been mixed since that point but that victory earlier in the season suggests that West Ham should not be fearful of their opponents on Saturday.
Pablo Fornals with two goals and Kurt Zouma with a late addition were the scorers for West Ham back in November while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Divock Origi replied for Liverpool. None of those names will feature highly in the latest first goalscorer betting as Mohamed Salah leads the way at best odds of 3/1.
Liverpool players dominate the top of this market: Diogo Jota is next at 7/2 while Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane are all available at 5/1 in places.
As for West Ham United, the first representative for the away side is Michail Antonio who is quoted at a general 12/1. Antonio is largely seen as the Hammers’ most likely source of goals and he has found the net ten times in 31 matches this season.
West Ham’s leading scorer in all competitions is Jared Bowen who has 12 goals so far. Bowen is down at best odds of 16/1 to score first and he may just offer the value in this market.
Moving across to team bets, Both Teams to Score is available for this match at 10/11 at best. If you want to take the ‘No’ option on BTTS, this is on offer at a top price of 21/20.
In the total combined goals betting, you can start by looking Above the 2.5 line for very short odds of 1/2 or you could push to Over 3.5 which currently returns best odds of 13/10. If, however, you feel that there will be fewer goals than those figures are suggesting, you could revert to Under the 2.5 line at a best of 17/10.
All that is left from our regular set of picks is a look at some Correct Score suggestions. If you agree with the bookies and are expecting a comfortable afternoon for Liverpool, the 3-1 home win is on offer at a top price of 11/1. Alternatively, a 2-2 draw is available at a best of 22/1 while a scoreline of 2-1 in favour of West Ham is available at a general 25/1.
Our LFC vs WHU Preview’s Verdict & Betting Tips
That 3-2 win for West Ham over Liverpool in November suggests that we might have a high scoring game but do recent statistics back up that theory? In their last six matches across all competitions, Liverpool have found the net on 14 occasions. Over the same period of time, West Ham United scored eight times.
The issue for the Hammers is that Liverpool have conceded just twice in those six games. The Reds are keeping it tight at the back and that is one reason why Klopp’s men are maintaining their title chase.
As you will have guessed, this preview is focusing on the goals markets for Saturday’s 5.30pm kick off. We suspect that Liverpool will claim the points so you could take those 1/3 odds on the home win but there are better options elsewhere.
Because Liverpool’s defence has been so impressive, Both Teams to Score would have dropped in just twice in those previous six games. That’s not an encouraging stat but West Ham will pose a threat and BTTS should convert.
For an odds-against pick, we’ll take Over 3.5 goals: Liverpool have been free scoring of late and this looks to be one of the stronger bets on a day when Klopp’s side should march on. So these are the betting tips for this match preview:
- Both Teams to Score at best odds of 10/11 with Betfred.
- Over 3.5 Goals at biggest odds of 13/10 with BetVictor.
Matt Harris is a football writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include golf and cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 