West Ham make the trip to Anfield where they have not won since 1963, the year the Beatles released their first hit! This may be the Hammers' best opportunity as Rafa is likely to be pre-occupied with the weekend's Europa League semi-final. The much-criticized Spaniard may be tempted to rest some of his starters and with
Fernando Torres highly doubtful,
West Ham will fancy their chances of a second consecutive Merseyside draw.
With Manchester City and Tottenham taking no prisoners in their bid for a Top Four spot,
Liverpool's chances of European action next season may depend on them winning the inaugural Europa League trophy. Their task just got much harder as Fernando Torres will undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the season. Without 'El Nino' leading the attack, the Reds are far less dangerous and play without a certain confidence.
West Ham United have a difficult road ahead of them if they are to escape relegation. They are now just 3 points above Hull City, their nearest contenders. The remaining 4 matches will be played against Liverpool, Wigan, Fulham and Manchester City; hardly an easy schedule. They have found some form recently after drawing 2-2 at Goodison Park and taking care of Sunderland at home last week. Gianfranco Zola will hope to take advantage of Liverpool's busy schedule and get a similar result to what they got against Everton.
Ilan and
Carlton Cole will be the go-to guys as they test a Liverpool defense that has conceded only 5 goals in their last 10 home matches.
Without
Torres the Reds are incredibly ineffective in the attacking department, that much was seen last week against Fulham. However, their defense remains strong especially at home so don't expect too many goals in Monday night's match.
Liverpool FC - West Ham United
Monday 19 April, 2010
Kickoff: 9:00 PM (CET)
Venue: Anfield Road (Liverpool)
Tip: Under 2.5 Goals
Best Odds: 2.14 @ Betfair
