West Ham vs Liverpool: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

The Premier League leaders round off 2024 away from home as they take on West Ham on Sunday evening.

The Reds continue to boast a healthy buffer at the summit and they can extend their advantage over second-place Arsenal to nine points if they win in east London.

Arne Slot's side have barely put a foot wrong during the first half of the season and are set to compete on multiple fronts down the stretch. They, of course, were in a similar position last year before fading, so the Dutchman will be keen to oversee an alternate conclusion to the campaign.

Liverpool's come-from-behind win over Leicester on Boxing Day means they've won 13 of their opening 17 league games and are on course for a 93-point season.

Sunday's opponents, West Ham, have steadied over the past month but they're yet to inspire under Julen Lopetegui. The Hammers are unbeaten since they lost at Leicester on December 5, but the jury is still out on their Spanish coach.

They've been fortunate to earn positive results in their previous two outings against Brighton and Southampton, but their uptick means they enter Sunday's contest 13th in the table.

Here is 90min's guide to West Ham vs Liverpool.

West Ham vs Liverpool H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch West Ham vs Liverpool on TV - UK and US

West Ham team news

Lukasz Fabianski is in the concussion protocol / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

Lukasz Fabianski has impressed as of late for the Hammers, but he suffered a nasty-looking head injury in the win over Southampton and is expected to miss out on Sunday. Alphonse Areola will come in for the experienced Pole.

Max Kilman was another casualty from the Boxing Day triumph, but the defender is more likely to feature despite sustaining a shoulder injury. Carlos Soler is also a doubt, while midfield duo Tomas Soucek and Guido Rodriguez are suspended.

Michail Antonio is out indefinitely.

West Ham predicted lineup vs Liverpool

West Ham predicted lineup vs Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus, Summerville; Fullkrug.

Liverpool team news

Ibrahima Konate is still out of action / Pedro Salado/GettyImages

Slot has confirmed that Liverpool will once again be without Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate for their final outing of the calendar year. However, the Reds have not yet been troubled by any fresh concerns.

The Dutchman must be wary of burnout given the busy schedule, but there are unlikely to be wholesale changes from the Boxing Day XI.

Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season against Leicester, while Luis Diaz could once again be used in a central striking position with Slot keen to manage Diogo Jota's minutes carefully. Darwin Nunez has not done enough to retain his starting berth.

Liverpool predicted lineup vs West Ham (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Diaz.

West Ham vs Liverpool score prediction

These two sides faced off in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, with Liverpool winning 5-1 at Anfield. This should be a closer game given that West Ham are hosting their final outing of 2024, but Lopetegui's side will require the Reds to be drastically off colour to snatch a result.

The Hammers, in short, haven't been very good. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly they do well. Lopetegui has shown some tactical variation, but West Ham remain a sub-par team without the ball and reliant on the energy of Jarrod Bowen and craft of Mohammed Kudus for attacking inspiration.

Their midfield is a non-entity and Liverpool should have their way with them on Sunday. However, hints of Red fatigue may render this bout closer than what you might project.