Gary Neville taken aback by Roberto Martinez prediction for Liverpool vs West Ham – ‘Wow’
Roberto Martinez believes that West Ham United can cause a shock against Liverpool at Anfield.
The Hammers face Arne Slot’s side on Saturday as they look to continue their good Premier League form, and potentially move out of the relegation zone.
West Ham currently sit in the bottom three, but are now only two points adrift of 17th-place Nottingham Forest.
The East London side have conceded just one goal across their last four games in all competitions, and will need to be solid at the back once again to take anything from their trip to Merseyside.
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West Ham predicted to beat Liverpool
West Ham have won three of their last six Premier League games, losing just once in that time and picking up 11 points in total.
As for Liverpool, their form has been inconsistent at best since the turn of the year, but they are very much still in the hunt for Champions League football.
The Reds will go into Saturday’s clash as big favourites, especially considering they have lost just one of their last ten games at Anfield.
However, current Portugal manager Martinez believes that the Hammers can cause a shock against the reigning Premier League champions.
Speaking on Stick to Football, the 52-year-old predicted that West Ham would secure a 1-0 win on Merseyside.
He said: “What I think is, the manager at West Ham (Nuno) knows how to win at Anfield, and Liverpool struggle against teams that are very defensive.
“I fancy West Ham, 1-0, I don’t think they’ll score many goals.”
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville was shocked by Martinez’s prediction, saying: “To win!? Wow. I can buy into that all day long. I wouldn’t have gone with it, but I’m happy with it.”
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West Ham looking to secure 11-year first
West Ham haven’t had much success against Liverpool in recent times, which makes Martinez’s prediction all the more surprising.
Last season, the Reds did the double over the East London side in the Premier League, as well as beating them 5-1 in the League Cup.
The Hammers haven’t actually beaten Liverpool since the 2021-22 season, when they secured a 3-2 win at London Stadium with the likes of Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma on the scoresheet.
You have to go back even further for West Ham’s last win over the Merseyside outfit at Anfield.
That was back in August 2015 when Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho grabbed the goals in a shock 3-0 victory.
Hammers fans will be hoping for a similar result this Saturday to continue their Premier League survival push.
For more expert analysis and news on West Ham United, check out Football Insider.