Chris Sutton predicts result of West Ham United clash v Liverpool for BBC Sport
Chris Sutton has predicted that West Ham United will taste back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time this season when they face Liverpool on Sunday 24 September.
The BBC Sport pundit believes that the Hammers will be on the losing side of a second consecutive clash with a ‘big six’ opponent, after last week’s defeat to Manchester City, suggesting Jurgen Klopp’s side will come away 2-0 winners.
Before the international break, David Moyes’ side were in inspired form domestically and they have still only lost once, at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s champions and despite believing the Irons will lose again, Sutton has heaped praise on Moyes’ team.
Writing for his BBC Sport Premier League predictions [21 September] he said: “I love the defensive discipline of David Moyes’ sides and the way he thinks as a manager. He knows what his team’s strengths are, and plays to them. The Hammers will be difficult to break down at Anfield and they will counter-attack when they do get the ball back.
“It’s Liverpool’s forwards who will decide this game, though. They have got so many dangerous attackers that they can rotate and cause all sorts of different problems. I liked their response when they found a way to win after falling behind against Wolves, and I think they will find a way through West Ham’s defence too.”
Defensive discipline
West Ham have rightly received plenty of praise in the early stages of the season for their impressive results that have seen them in and amongst the European places once again, but they couldn’t have many more difficult back-to-back fixtures.
Man City were made to work for their three points at the London Stadium on Saturday and while that will likely be the case during the showdown at Anfield on Sunday, very few teams can beat Liverpool on their own soil.
The attacking talent in Jurgen Klopp’s side will cause every defence they face plenty of problems and it will be a true test of just how far Moyes has brought his side over the summer. But their defence has been fragile and the Hammers will pose a threat going forward.
West Ham will fancy their chances more this weekend than they did against City last time out and despite Sutton’s pessimism, there is a feeling that the Irons could cause an upset. It won’t be easy, but if Moyes and his side want to qualify for Europe again, there won’t be many easy fixtures this season.
In other West Ham news, Tomas Soucek has said that this Hammers side are the strongest they have been in recent seasons