Liverpool vs West Ham – Both teams are without their talisman
Published:Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker will both be missing for their respective clubs when Liverpool take on West Ham at Anfield in Saturday evenings kick-off.
Both players have been influential for their sides this season and their loses are huge blows to both Roy Hodgson and Avram Grant who find their positions under scrutiny.
Match Odds
Roy Hodgson knows that a loss to West Ham could spell the end of his reign as Liverpool manager, and with just four wins in their last nine home games, this game isn’t as certain as the Liverpool betting odds suggest.
Liverpool are 8/15 to beat a team that hasn’t won in the league at Anfield since 1963, but Hodgson is without Gerrard and, although he will start, Fernando Torres isn’t at full fitness.
Considering the two players have either scored or created 12 of Liverpool’s 13 games this season, Hodgson will hope Torres is fit enough to continue his scoring streak.
But with Torres flirting with form this season, the 3/1 offered for the draw may be worth a punt as West Ham have drawn all five games against teams that have started the weekend in the bottom half of the table this season.
Total Goals
It’s been 38 games since West Ham have won at Anfield and the Hammers have failed to score in 27 of those games, including 12 of the 15 Premier League games, leaving the 1/1 for Liverpool to keep a clean sheet looking good value.
Torres is the key to this game, if West Ham can keep him quiet then a 0-0 draw is the favoured result at 12/1.
But the Spaniard has 44 goals in 47 league appearances at Anfield and five goals in four games against West Ham which means the Spaniard is 8/13 to score any time.
A £10 stake on Torres to score first and Liverpool to win 1-0 at odds of 14/1 returns £150. See the full Liverpool vs West Ham betting odds here.
