West Ham vs Liverpool Odds
| West Ham Odds | +425 |
| Liverpool Odds | -200 |
| Draw | +400 |
| Over / Under | 3.5 -110 / -110 |
Liverpool face a must-win scenario to retain any realistic hope of staying in the Premier League title chase when they visit a West Ham side that is also combatting a late-season swoon.
Liverpool were stunned in a 2-0 defeat at Merseyside rivals Everton on Wednesday, a result that means they will need both Manchester City and Arsenal to slip up down the stretch to have any hope of contending for that elusive league crown.
West Ham were idle in midweek after one of their worst performances of the season, a 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace last Sunday that was every bit as lopsided as the score indicated. They enter the weekend eighth, a point in front of a Chelsea side with two games in hand.
Liverpool earned a 3-1 victory in these sides' previous meeting back at Anfield in late September. Let's get into my West Ham vs Liverpool prediction.
West Ham
If the Hammers are going to rescue their hopes of qualifying for a European place, they'll have to do it the hard way.
West Ham have won only one of their previous seven league fixtures, and only have four wins in all competitions since 2024 began. And now they face Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City as part of their final four league fixtures.
The 2024 grind — influenced by key injuries at times and a congested schedule at others — has resulted in a sentiment around the club that manager David Moyes likely will move on after the season. And with the Scotsman's contract up at year's end, it's certainly fair for bettors to question whether West Ham's motivation level will be up to standard.
West Ham were without leading scorer Jarrod Bowen (back) in Sunday's loss to a Crystal Palace side that is sneakily dangerous now that all their attacking pieces are healthy.
But the full week of rest — the first such break the Hammers have had (that wasn't a FIFA international window) since late February — should allow the striker time to recover after he needed a pain-killing injection to play in the second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal.
Bowen's presence wasn't enough that night in a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen that allowed the Germans to advance with a 3-1 aggregate victory. But it was a strong home performance, showing that the Hammers still have enough quality to earn results against elite opposition if the focus and fitness is there.
Liverpool
Liverpool are in a similar position to West Ham in a couple of ways.
They are definitely in the final season under manager Jurgen Klopp, who announced months ago he will depart after the campaign is complete. And their recent swoon also began with their elimination from the Europa League to Italian side Atalanta, who earned a stunning 3-0 win in the first leg at Anfield en route to a 3-1 aggregate victory.
They now have less than 72 hours to flush their 2-0 defeat at Everton from memory and play a third successive away league match in seven days.
While the xG totals suggested Liverpool were unfortunate in their defeat to their city rivals, that was only partly true. Everton created the majority of the match's chances from the opening whistle until Jarrad Branthwaite's deserved goal in the 27th minute.
Liverpool only exerted control after falling behind — a pattern they've gotten away with often this season — and this time a combination of the woodwork and excellent goalkeeping by Jordan Pickford kept Everton in front for the duration.
After failing to score only once between August and March, the Reds have now been shut out in three of their last five matches in all competitions, despite creating more than seven expected goals across those three games.
They will hope the return of Cody Gakpo helps halt those struggles after he missed the Merseyside Derby due to his partner giving birth.
West Ham vs Liverpool
Prediction
While Liverpool's failure to convert chances probably owes at least somewhat to the fatigue of this current stretch, the quick turnaround for Saturday's match may be a blessing in disguise.
The loss at Everton was hardly the most physically exerting fixture, with the Reds having three-quarters of the possession. And a longer layoff between games might allow more time for Liverpool to digest just how much the result had hurt their title chances.
Instead, I think they'll respond here in a good way, which makes this a spot to pay attention more to the season-long trends than the recent ones. And throughout the full season, the best Liverpool wager on their away travels in the league has been to parlay a yes bet on both teams to score with the total coming in under 4.5.
That bet has cashed on 11-of-17 occasions. That perhaps highlights where the Reds have been slightly off the standard of City and Arsenal — in their relative inability to dominate inferior opponents playing at home.
The same bet has also paid out in eight of West Ham's 17 home fixtures, making this a pretty solid wager at +135 and an implied 42.6% probability.
