Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge is set to make a return to first-team football after an absence of five months against West Ham United Getty Images

Liverpool welcome West Ham United to Anfield for a Premier League clash on Saturday.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm GMT. There is no live TV or radio coverage of this game in the UK. Catch the highlights of the game on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10:20pm GMT.

Overview

Liverpool welcome top four rivals West Ham United to Anfield on Saturday, a crucial clash for both teams as they chase Champions League qualification.

The Reds come into this game following a tough Capital One Cup loss at the hands of Chelsea, but they will be buoyed by the return of Daniel Sturridge, who is in line to make his first Liverpool appearance in five months.

Brendan Rodgers' men are unbeaten in six league games and will hope to leapfrog their opponents into seventh place with a victory.

Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll will be keen to prove a point as he makes his return to Anfield [Reuters]

Meanwhile, West Ham United come into this game on the back of a six-game unbeaten streak, their latest being a 1-0 victory over Bristol City in the FA Cup.

Sam Allardyce is hoping to take his team into Europe and will hope that he can end Liverpool's winning run and put some distance between them and Reds on the table.

The Hammers' two in-form players Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll will want to prove a point after failing to live up to expectations during their time at Anfield. This will be the latter's first time back to Merseyside following his move to the east London club.

What Managers Say

Brendan Rodgers: "[On Downing] He wasn't someone I wanted to move on. Really gifted player, has wonderful technique. [On Carroll] I just felt, with how I play and how the team operates, he might not have been a regular player."

Sam Allardyce: "I think the way they're playing is right up there with where they were last year. They obviously don't have the same goal threat they had last year, in Sturridge and Suarez. But I believe Sturridge will probably be back against us at some stage, perhaps off the bench. So there's a bigger and better goal threat there for them. I expect it to be a very difficult game - as always at Anfield - but one that we should look forward to with our form at the minute."

Betting Odds (888Sport.com)

  • Liverpool to win: 19/29
  • West Ham United to win: 43/10
  • Draw: 3

Team News

Liverpool

Injured: Jones (Hip / Thigh)

Doubtful: Sakho

Suspended: N/A

Possible XI: Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Markovic, Henderson, Lucas, Moreno; Lallana, Coutinho, Sterling.

West Ham United

Injured: N/A

Doubtful: Jenkinson, Tomkins

Suspended: N/A

Possible XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Reid, Tomkins, Cresswell; Song, Nolan, Noble; Downing; Carroll, Sakho.

Premier League Liverpool FC