LIVERPOOL
Premier League, Anfield, Sunday 24 September 2023, 2pm BST
Jürgen Klopp will hope his Liverpool side can rediscover their best form after a relatively unsuccessful 2022/23 campaign.
The Reds kicked-off last season by winning the FA Community Shield, but things only got more difficult after that, as they finished outside the top four in fifth in the Premier League, suffered fourth-round exits in both domestic cups and exited the UEFA Champions League at the round of 16.
The summer saw Klopp revamp his midfield, with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Naby Keïta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endō.
Behind them, full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson provide width and creativity, while Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz provide the attacking firepower up front.
West Ham have not exactly lit it up at Anfield down the years, with just one there win since September 1963 – a 3-0 Premier League victory scored in August 2015!
How to get there…
If you are letting the train take the strain, direct services to Liverpool Lime Street depart London Euston at 08.20, 09.19 and 10.19, with a journey time of three hours. Alternatively, the 08.07, 08.47 and 09.46 departures require a change at Crewe and take three-and-a-half hours in total to reach Lime Street.
From Lime Street, bus service 917 departs from Commutation Row in the City Centre and takes around 15 minutes to reach Anfield. Fans can use the return service from Walton Lane after the match.
Alternatively, from Liverpool City Centre, take the 26 from Liverpool ONE bus station or 17 from Queen Square Bus Station directly to the ground. Or you could take a taxi!
If you are driving, the best option is to park in the city centre and take the 917 bus.
Where to stay…
As a tourist destination in its own right, Liverpool has a wide range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and tastes.
There are some sensational hotels in the city centre and also around the redeveloped Albert Dock, with both areas also well stocked with restaurants and bars to keep you fed and watered!
For those for whom price is more important than style, there are the usual budget chain options in and around the city centre.
What to do…
Liverpool is FULL of interesting attractions, historic buildings and things to do.
Of course, the city is known best for its football and music, most notably legendary band The Beatles, so why not fill your visit with a bit of both?
With the football already taken care of, you can visit The Beatles Story or British Music Experience, take a Beatles Magical Mystery Tour around the city or even visit the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
If music is not your thing, the World Museum tells the story of the Earth, the Museum of Liverpool and Mersey Maritime Museum do what you’d expect, while, if you’re driving, you can encounter over 700 wild animals at nearby Knowsley Safari Park.
For further information, head to visitliverpool.com.
What’s happened there before…
As mentioned in the introduction, West Ham United have won at Anfield just once in the last 53 visits in all competitions!
That victory came in August 2015, when Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho all found the net in a 3-0 success for Slaven Bilić’s Irons. After that memorable win ended a 52-year wait, the Hammers drew on their next two visits but have since lost on each of the last five.
That 3-0 win is also our largest margin of victory at Anfield, eclipsing the 3-1 First Division success achieved thanks to two goals from Jimmy Ruffell and one from fellow England international Vic Watson back in February 1928!
