2019-2020 PL: Liverpool vs. West Ham United

(Sky Sports) CHARLIE NICHOLAS' PREDICTION
Liverpool will have had a chance to recover from Tuesday's defeat in Madrid. We knew they would get it tough; they did not play well and had lots of the ball, but it was a dogged team that got physical and defended well, and that agitated Liverpool.

This happens and it is the Champions League after all. We saw West Ham go to Man City and park the bus. David Moyes went with Michail Antonio instead of Sebastien Haller due to counter-attack threat. Robert Snodgrass could not keep the ball, and West Ham could not get out. If they go down 2-0, they will be happy with that, with goal difference to think about.

Liverpool will be the exact same, as it is three points closer to the Premier League title. They just need to get another game ticked off and though the crowd will want it to be more exciting, they will be happy to just get over the line too.

Liverpool will take it nice and easy if they do score early, and then can afford to make the changes. Jurgen Klopp has to protect some of these players and do not want them to pick up any injuries for the return leg. The result will not be as damaging as some people may think.

(Sky Sports) Jurgen Klopp makes just the one change to the side that lost 1-0 in the first leg of Liverpool's Champions League last 16 tie at Atletico Madrid last week as Naby Keita replaces the injured Jordan Henderson in midfield.

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As for West Ham, what a night in store for Jeremy Ngakia, whose only other appearance in senior football came last month in the reverse fixture against Liverpool.

David Moyes gives him a second outing having not looked out of place that evening, replacing Ryan Fredericks on the right side of defence.

Ngakia is one of two changes to the side that lost 2-0 at Manchester City last week as Arthur Masuaku drops out entirely with Felipe Anderson starting in his place.

New signing Jarrod Bowen has to make do once more with a place on the substitutes' bench.

(The Guardian) Re the team news, it is pretty damning of West Ham’s transfer policy that Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals and Sebastian Haller are all on the bench. That’s £91m of attacking talent, which has been deemed not suited to be fit/good enough, or well enough suited to the defensive system which Moyes intends to play tonight.

I hope they have relegation wage clauses, because the club is in real trouble if they don’t and they go down. West Ham are currently 18th, in the relegation zone, remember.

(The Guardian) Our first email, from Stephen Carr (the Stephen Carr?!). “Chomsky once said “if you’re not cynical, then you’re not paying attention” and after seeing Moyes’ selection, the cynics amongst us might presume that he effectively just wants to keep the score down tonight.”

I would agree with that. The lack of pace in midfield is staggering: Noble, Snodgrass, Rice, Soucek. Even with Antonio and Felipe Anderson as the forwards, how are they going to counter-attack with that? I just don’t understand the strategy, other than being happy with a 2-0 defeat.

(The Guardian) Moyes has at least spared Pablo Zabaleta the indignity of facing Sadio Mané tonight. Deptford-born Jeremy Ngakia starts tonight, just the second time he has done so in the Premier League. His only other appearance also came against Liverpool in January, a 2-0 defeat at the London Stadium.

“I am keen to give the young players the opportunity,” Moyes said of Ngakia. “Ideally it would not be in this situation and at Anfield away or in this situation where we are in the league. Ideally, you would try to bed them in but it does not always come perfectly. Zabaleta, as you know, has been incredibly reliable and has a great personality when he plays.”