This looks like a home banker for Liverpool, even without Gerrard.
This is why…
· West Ham are without a win in their last 24 PL away matches and only kept one clean sheet in their last 23.
· West Ham have failed to score in 12 of their last 15 PL visits to Anfield and only scored four in those matches.
· Liverpool are without a defeat in their last 38 matches at home to the Hammers since September 1963. This is the equal-second longest ever unbeaten home run by one top flight club against another. The record is Liverpool’s current 47-match unbeaten home run against Stoke City.
· West Ham have won only one of their last 16 PL matches against Liverpool (14 defeats) – 1-0 at home in January 2008. Mark Noble scored a 90th minute penalty.
Lucas is out through suspension so two of Liverpool’s top picklive scorers won’t be playing! Konchesky is Liverpool’s 2nd highest points scorer with an average of 55points and should get a spot in most BG teams. I think Kuyt will score well without Gerrard and could get a goal or two against a West Ham defense that have conceded 22 goals this season (only Blackpool and Wolves have conceded more). Kuyt was their third highest scorer in the match against Chelsea with 50points.
Meireles will also benefit with Gerrard not playing – in his last five matches he has been averaging 51pts. Poulsen will play I think and he has done well on picklive with an average of 61pts (not including his 2pts against Bolton). Glen Johnson has scored more than 60 in half of the matches he has played this season and has a low of 42. Torres could get a couple so it may be worth giving him a go in your BG team?
Looking at the Man United-West Ham match earlier in the season when they lost 3-0, Parker still got 74points – the 5th highest score in the match. If you’re going with any West Ham player it has to be him – he is averaging 52pts at the moment. If you think Liverpool will struggle and West Ham put up more of a fight then I would also go with Mark Noble who got 62points including a yellow at Old Trafford.
I will be going with four or five Liverpool players – a choice between Konchesky, Meireles, Poulsen, Kuyt, Johnson and Torres. Then Parker if I decide to go with a West Ham player.
A few stats to finish with!
· Hodgson has won three of his five PL matches at home to West Ham but lost two of his last three.
· Liverpool have scored 13 PL goals this season – only Wigan (10) and West Ham (11) have netted fewer.
· Torres has scored three goals in the club’s last two PL home matches. In total, 44 of his 61 PL goals have come at Anfield (72.1%). He has netted five PL goals against West Ham. If he scores today he will have scored more PL goals against them than any other club he has faced.
· Avram Grant was unbeaten in four matches against Liverpool in all competitions during his spell at Chelsea in 2007-08 – winning two and drawing two.
Good luck!
Simon G (grunny27)
No comments:
Post a Comment