West Ham vs Liverpool Odds: Reds to take all three points in 33/1 longshot

Fresh off of the back of midweek European action, these sides meet at the London Stadium in the English top-flight this Sunday.  

West Ham have had a day less to recover then Liverpool, having played Genk on Thursday afternoon in the Europa League and despite fielding a very strong squad, David Moyes will fancy his side to go toe-to-toe with the Reds considering they have no fresh injury concerns.

The Hammers currently sit in fourth, two points behind Liverpool and five points off leaders Chelsea. This campaign they have already beaten both Manchester clubs in the League Cup and they got six points from their domestic games against the big six last campaign, they always held their own though best illustrated by the fact that they only lost by two goals on three occasions.  

The bookmakers clearly fancy the visitors here though pricing them around 3/4 to win in the capital. In terms of team news, Bobby Firmino limped off in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Atletico so Diogo Jota is expected to lead the line, flanked by Sadio Mane and Mo Salah. Elsewhere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson are expected to start alongside Fabinho. The latter was clearly missed last weekend, as Brighton overran the Reds midfield.

With Both Teams to Score priced at around 1/2 the implied probability of it happening is nearly 67% and with the Hammers clearly fancied to trouble Liverpool’s backline I thought Antonio’s price was a touch too long, especially considering he has scored 30% of WHU’s league goals this season. 

Over the course of his career, based on Antonio’s goals per 90 average, a valuable price would be around 5/2. However, he has not always spearheaded his slides attacks, in the second tier he frequently played on the wing and has even been known to do a job at full back. 

However, over the past three seasons at West Ham he has moved upfront and has bagged 26 goals in 59 appearances, a goals per 90 average of 0.55. Therefore, with the goals prices indicating this will be a goal laden game, I am happy to take a price of 21/10 for a man that has directly contributed to nine goals in nine appearances this season.

Declan Rice has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season. Statistically speaking, every aspect of his game has improved, not least his defensive output as he has followed in the footsteps of Soucek and began to contribute to goals for his side. 

One thing that has struck me when physically watching him is how he has become more tenacious. On Thursday in Genk for example, he received an early card as he took one for the team with a cynical foul that stopped a counter attack. 

Domestically, last season, he averaged 0.69 fouls and 0.06 cards per 90. This season, he has averaged 1.60 fouls and 0.30 cards per 90 already picking up more bookings then he managed in the entirety of last season. 

It is also worth noting that he has been carded in all three of his last three appearances vs Liverpool.

If you fancy something a bit chunkier, you can combine the first two selections with an away win at 33/1 with Betfair. Liverpool won both fixtures last campaign by an aggregate scoreline of 5-2 as both teams scored in each domestic fixture.

Best of luck if you are backing any of these selections and please remember to gamble responsibly.