Liverpool vs West Ham preview: team news, kick-off, TV & referee

Liverpool take on West Ham United in the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Anfield on Wednesday, the Reds looking to book their place in the final four. 

Jurgen Klopp will want to see a reaction from his players after the frustrating and underwhelming goalless draw with Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, a result which saw Liverpool drop to second in the Premier League table.

While the Reds will have one eye on a heavyweight clash with Arsenal next weekend, there is the small matter of welcoming West Ham to Merseyside this Wednesday.

The Irons bounced back from a 5-0 defeat to Fulham with victories over Freiburg and Wolverhampton Wanderers, most recently beating the Old Gold 3-0 on Sunday thanks to inspired performances from Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus.

Here is Anfield Watch's preview of Liverpool vs West Ham.

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DATE, KICK-OFF, STADIUM, REFEREE & VAR

• Date: Wednesday, 20 December 2023

• Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT

• Stadium: Anfield

• Referee: Tim Robinson

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Liverpool boast an incredibly impressive record in their 148 meetings with the Hammers since 1901, winning 82, drawing 37 and losing just 29 of said clashes.

The Reds' recent record is even more remarkable, losing just one of their past 15 encounters with West Ham - the 3-2 defeat at the London Stadium in 2021.

Klopp has won his last four battles with David Moyes' Irons, with Liverpool having come out on top in the Premier League fixture against them earlier this season with a 3-1 victory at Anfield.

There have been seven League Cup meetings between the two sides, although the last encounter came in 1988 in a 4-1 defeat for the Reds.

WHERE TO WATCH LIVERPOOL VS WEST HAM

Luckily for Liverpool supporters who can't bag a ticket to Anfield on Wednesday, the game will be shown on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, while fans can also listen in on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Those in Canada and large parts of Europe can watch on DAZN, while the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ in the United States.

In Australia and a number of countries across Asia, beIN Sports will be showing Liverpool's clash with the London club.

Match commentary, highlights and full match replay will be available after the game on LFCTV and you can also keep a track of the game by monitoring Anfield Watch's social media channels.

LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS

With Joel Matip, Andy Robertson, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic all still long-term absentees, there is only one new injury concern following Liverpool's clash with Man Utd.

Ryan Gravenberch was substituted with an injury in the second half on Sunday, Klopp hopeful that it was nothing more than a minor setback for the Dutchman. However, with games coming thick and fast over the next few weeks, it seems unlikely that he will be risked against West Ham anyway.

Alexis Mac Allister was sidelined for the weekend clash after suffering a deep cut to his knee against Sheffield United and is unlikely to feature against the Hammers despite the fact that he may return soon.

Diogo Jota, who Liverpool could really use up top given the forward line is misfiring, is still injured.

WEST HAM TEAM NEWS

The Hammers have a relatively clean bill of health heading to Anfield on Wednesday, with Michail Antonio the only likely first-team absentee for Moyes.

The former Everton and Man Utd boss is likely to field a strong lineup on Wednesday, as is Klopp, and it will include in-form forwards Paqueta, Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.

James Ward-Prowse, who was very briefly linked with Liverpool in the summer, will be one to watch out for on set pieces, especially with the aerial presence of Tomas Soucek, Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma.

LIVERPOOL PREDICTED LINEUP

Klopp is likely to field a fairly strong starting XI against West Ham, with Liverpool arguably the favourites for the tournament. However, he could still use this as an opportunity to offer some of the second-team regulars some minutes.

Caoimhin Kelleher will likely retain his place as the Reds' cup goalkeeper, with Joe Gomez potentially coming in to give Trent Alexander-Arnold a rest. Kostas Tsimikas is likely to retain his place on the left due to a lack of alternatives, while Virgil van Dijk may be utilised to give the defence some solidity alongside young Jarell Quansah.

With Thiago, Bajcetic, Mac Allister and Gravenberch injured, and Dominik Szoboszlai due a proper rest after some questionable performances, Harvey Elliott is likely to start alongside Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo.

Up top, Klopp should go strong. Mohamed Salah has been pretty much undroppable this season, the Reds looking lost without him at times, while Luis Diaz could also retain his spot on the left flank.

After a pretty dismal showing against Man Utd, albeit he wasn't the only underperformer, Darwin Nunez could be replaced by Cody Gakpo.

(4-3-3): Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliott, Endo, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.

SCORE PREDICTION

Having already knocked Arsenal out of the competition, West Ham deserve huge respect from Liverpool this Wednesday. The Irons have a really good shot at some rare silverware, likely buoyed by their Europa Conference League success last season.

However, Liverpool do boast a strong record against West Ham and need a reaction after Sunday's showing. In front of the Anfield crowd, the Reds should have enough in the tank to get over the line, even with their growing injury list.

Liverpool 2-1 West Ham