West Ham v Liverpool: Salah can star again in 8/1 special

Betting.Betfair.com

·28 Desember 2024

West Ham v Liverpool: Salah can star again in 8/1 special

English Premier League

Arne Slot can guide Liverpool to another win

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West Ham v LiverpoolSunday 29 December, 17:15Live on Sky Sports Main Event

Lopetegui has settled ship

West Ham ended the 18th round of Premier League games in 13th place after churning out a 1-0 win at basement dwellers Southampton.

In the table that wedges them between Tottenham and Manchester United so it's fair to say that Julen Lopetegui has somewhat silenced the noise around his future after, at one stage, looking on extremely thin ice.

The Hammers have moved nine points clear of the bottom three and six above 15th-placed Everton with a four-match unbeaten run.

For context, the two wins in that spell have come against strugglers Wolves and Southampton while they've added 1-1 draws against Bournemouth and Brighton.

Reds still powering on

After draws against in-form Newcastle and Fulham, Liverpool have started racking up the wins again, scoring nine goals across two games against Spurs (6-3) and Leicester (3-1).

With the table showing them six points clear and with a game in hand over all their possible title rivals, Arne Slot's side are 3/10 to win the Premier League.

Liverpool are also the division's top scorers with 40 goals and other top-flight managers must look on in envy at the embarrassment of riches the Reds have up front.

Slot has rotated them well and the only frustration here is that midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who helped himself to a goal and three assists at Spurs, is absent here after picking up a cheap booking against Leicester.

Visitors red-hot favourites

Liverpool's odds to win here are very similar to their title price. They're 4/11 to make it 14 wins out of 18 in the Premier League this season while West Ham are 13/2 and The Draw 4/1.

The Hammers have actually done okay against Liverpool at the London Stadium in recent seasons with a draw, a loss and a win in the last three home encounters.

But they'll have to try and dig out a result this time not only with the Merseysiders in full flow but hampered by Lopetegui having to pick from a depleted squad.

Guido Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek are suspended while defender Max Kilman is a major doubt. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is also set to be missing after being stretchered off at Southampton while Michael Antonio - who has a good record against Liverpool - is a long-term absentee following his car crash.

Hosts can get on the scoresheet

West Ham were thumped 5-1 by Liverpool at Anfield in the Carabao Cup earlier this season but that was the fifth straight game in which they'd netted against the Reds.

And there are decent grounds to think they can make it six. West Ham have scored in their last seven fixtures and Liverpool have conceded 11 away goals in the Premier League so far. That's the same as Crystal Palace and one more than Manchester United.

But I'm very much framing a West Ham goal as a consolation strike here. Liverpool should have far too much but backing Slot's side to win while conceding bumps their price up to a much more palatable 7/5. Take it.

Salah looks unstoppable

Mo Salah was scoring his 16th Premier League goal of the season when impudently curling in Liverpool's third against Leicester. The Egyptian is now 4/6 to win the Golden Boot.

Salah also has 12 goals in his 16 matches against West Ham and heads to London after netting nine times in his last eight outings. The 5/6 for a Salah goal looks very acceptable.

He's a good candidate for Bet Builders, with Jarrod Bowen (two in his last four) the best West Ham option. A Salah-Bowen scorer double pays just over 6/1.

But I'm going to find another way to back the league's top scorer.

Salah and Diaz can combine

Salah isn't just top of the goal charts, he's also top of the Premier League assist standings too with 11.

Two came in the 6-3 rout of Spurs, one of them setting up Luis Diaz to thump in his second of the game and Liverpool's sixth.

And I'm going to back that same combination - Salah assisting Diaz - at 8/1 here.

Diaz was given the night off against Leicester so will be fit and raring to go.

Slot will likely give him the nod and, with in-form Cody Gakpo pushing to start again, Diaz could play in a false nine position after Darwin Nunez again failed to convince against Leicester.

Diaz, who also scored a brace on the road at Old Trafford, could prove way too lively for the West Ham defence and should find plenty of moments to combine with Salah. That 8/1 is very tempting.