West Ham United v Liverpool
Premier League, London Stadium, Saturday 27 April 2024, 12.30pm BST
West Ham United return to action at home to Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime, looking to bounce back to winning ways following back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.
The Hammers remain in touch of European qualification, currently sat in eighth in the standings with four games of 2023/24 remaining, but know anything other than three points here will serve as a significant blow to their chances.
Liverpool visit the capital on the back of two defeats in three top-flight outings, most recently at the hands of local rivals Everton on Wednesday night, which has hampered their hopes of beating Arsenal and Manchester City in the race for the league title.
The Reds are three points behind the Gunners at the top of the ranks as it stands, and will similarly be seeking the full share of the spoils at London Stadium to help secure the English crown in what is Jürgen Klopp’s final campaign in charge.
Tickets…
Tickets for this sold-out game are still available on the Ticket Exchange, with Season Ticket Holders who cannot attend this fixture relisting their seats for other supporters to buy.
Click HERE to check availability or relist.
Travel…
There is no planned disruption to TfL Underground services on the Central, Jubilee, Elizabeth and Docklands Light Railway lines, though there are set to be issues on Overground services. Supporters using the Overground line are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
There are no planned issues on the c2c mainline, but there are set to be disruptions to Greater Anglia services, as well as the Southeastern network that serves Stratford International.
Stratford and Stratford City Bus Stations are located in close proximity to Stratford station. Buses that run to these stations are numbers: 25, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
There is no parking available at London Stadium. Restrictions will be in place and enforced in the local area.
How To Follow…
West Ham United’s home Premier League match against Liverpool has been selected for broadcast in the United Kingdom by TNT Sports.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on talkSPORT and worldwide on our official website and app.
Official Programme…
At 116 pages, and just £4 per issue, West Ham United’s 2023/24 Official Programme represents superb value for money for supporters wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs, plus the regular news, columns, statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club.
Saturday’s issue includes an extensive feature marking the 60th anniversary of the Club’s 1964 FA Cup triumph, interviews with former West Ham and Liverpool stars Don Hutchison, Andy Carroll and Neil Ruddock, and a chat with current goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
With Academy content focusing on youngster Sean Moore, who reflects on his first season in east London, the latest from our women’s team, plus history, puzzles, statistics, and the lowdown on our opponents from Anfield, the Official Programme is packed full of content for you!
Click HERE to order your copy now.
WHU Foundation...
Throughout Saturday’s fixture, the Club will be celebrating the work of its official charity, the award-winning West Ham United Foundation.
For those new to the Foundation's work, here's a quick summary:
- 35+ initiatives: from sports and football development to health, education & employability
- East London, Essex & international delivery
- Reaching 50,000 people of all ages & abilities
- 92p of every £1 donated goes on helping people in need
Why is it important?
Operating in some of the most under-served areas in the UK, the Foundation’s programmes tackle inequalities and provide tailored support for residents of our vibrant communities who otherwise may not reach their full potential.
The Goal: Inspiring better futures by improving the life opportunities of individuals, groups and communities.
Click HERE to find out more about the WHU Foundation.
Team News…
Top-scorer Jarrod Bowen is set to be assessed ahead of the visit of Liverpool, having completed the full 90 minutes of West Ham’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg at home to Bayer Leverkusen, but then subsequently missed last weekend’s defeat at Crystal Palace.
Defenders Dinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd also sat out the trip to Selhurst Park through injury, and are set to be checked by manager David Moyes and his medical team before kick-off on Saturday.
Joël Matip, Thiago Alcântara, Conor Bradley and Diogo Jota are all set to miss out for Liverpool.
Opposition…
With just four games of Jürgen Klopp’s reign remaining, Liverpool are on a mad dash to add a second Premier League crown in five years to this season’s EFL Cup triumph, that came just a month after the January announcement of the manager’s decision to step down.
Klopp’s departure will surely mark the end of a memorable era on the red half of Merseyside, with the Stuttgart native’s close-to nine years in charge propelling the 19-time English champions back among the European elite following an extended spell in the shadows.
Indeed, upon the 56-year-old’s appointment at Anfield in October 2015, Liverpool were languishing in tenth place in the top-flight standings following three trophyless seasons, and just one UEFA Champions League campaign in five years. Certainly, a far cry from the days of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish and co.
A 2011/12 League Cup triumph was all the Reds had to show for eight seasons since a trophy-laden spell under bosses Gérard Houllier and Rafael Benítez between 2000 and 2007, though a first league title since 1990 remained painfully out of reach and fans were forced to watch on as the likes of Arsenal, Leeds, Manchester United, Blackburn, Chelsea, Manchester City and Leicester repeatedly pipped them to the post.
Two runners-up finishes in Klopp’s first season in the hotseat – in the EFL Cup and the UEFA Europa League – proved to be a sign of things to come, and after an agonising, Gareth Bale-inspired defeat by Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, Liverpool duly beat Tottenham Hotspur to become kings of the continent for the sixth time the next year.
FIFA Club World Cup honours followed, but the league was still the missing piece of jigsaw, and the one gift of glory so yearned by Liverpudlians far and wide. Just as they had done against Madrid in the Champions League a season earlier, Liverpool fell at the final hurdle to the seemingly unstoppable Manchester City in 2018/19, despite tasting defeat just once and accumulating a 97-point haul.
Outdoing Pep Guardiola’s serial-winning Citizens was going to take something special, but Klopp and his Redmen weren’t going to be denied next time around. A COVID-interrupted 2019/20 campaign saw Liverpool better their previous points tally by two, and cruise to top spot by a margin of 18.
The squad assembled by Klopp boasted the world-beating likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, and prodigies such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, fused together with a spirit that sees each of the six highlighted individuals remain key cogs in Liverpool’s wheel today.
Following their lifting of the league trophy, Klopp’s charges came close to clinching what would have been an historic quadruple in 2021/22 – winning the FA and EFL Cups, and finishing second in the league and the Champions League - though a sole Community Shield win and fifth place last term was somewhat out of character.
Liverpool have impressed for large parts of 2023/24, and at the time Klopp announced his impending farewell, they were in contention for four trophies. The EFL Cup was secured in extra-time against Chelsea in February, but Manchester United and Atalanta have since put paid to their hopes in the FA Cup and Europa League respectively.
So it is then that arguably the big one for most Reds supporters, the Premier League, remains the key target. Though Wednesday’s defeat at Everton gave old foes City and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal the advantage, the tightest of title races is set to go down to the wire.
Previous Meetings…
Saturday’s match will be the 150th time West Ham United and Liverpool have played each other in competitive action.
It is a run of games that stretches back to 1901, when the Hammers were defeated by the Reds 1-0 in an FA Cup intermediate round tie.
In the Premier League, this is the 56th match between the two sides, and it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Liverpool have fared better over the last 30 years, winning 35 games compared to West Ham’s ten, while there have also been ten draws.
In fact, the Hammers have won just one of the last 15 such games, while in all competitions it is a sole victory in 16 meetings.
Jürgen Klopp’s charges triumphed on their last visit to London Stadium, with Cody Gakpo and Joël Matip strikes cancelling out Lucas Paquetá’s opener almost exactly a year ago, but West Ham were victorious on home soil the previous season, when Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma netted after an Alisson own-goal to earn a superb 3-2 win.
Liverpool have been involved in some of the biggest games in West Ham’s history, with the Merseysiders edging the 1980/81 League Cup and 2005/06 FA Cup finals, while the teams shared the 1964 FA Charity Shield after a 2-2 draw at Anfield.
Match Officials…
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn
Fourth Official: Josh Smith
VAR: Tim Robinson
Assistant VAR: Wade Smith
Anthony Taylor has been confirmed as the man in the middle for Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Liverpool.
A top-flight referee since 2010, Taylor is one of England’s most experienced officials and has previously taken charge of two FA Cup finals, an EFL Cup final, the FA Community Shield, the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final, the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League final and, at international level, the 2021 UEFA Nations League final.
The 45-year-old also famously reacted quickly when Denmark's Christian Eriksen collapsed during his country's UEFA Euro 2020 tie with Finland, and is credited with helping save the Manchester United midfielder's life due to his swift actions in calling for medical attention.
A veteran of over 700 games in all competitions, Taylor refereed his 35th fixture involving West Ham United at Brighton & Hove Albion in August 2023, where James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio goals earned the Hammers a 3-1 win.
That Brighton clash is one of 23 matches in which the Wythenshawe native has held the whistle this season, while he has also refereed four times in the UEFA Champions League, twice in the Europa League and three times internationally during 2023/24.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
