West Ham have received a timely boost ahead of their match against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.
David Moyes would have been keeping a keen eye on Liverpool’s Champions League 2-0 victory over Midtjylland. West Ham takes on the Reds next in the Premier League. The Hammers have unbeaten in their last four games but have struggled at Anfield in recent years.
The Hammers have received a boost; however, makeshift defender Fabinho was forced off with an apparent hamstring injury. Liverpool have been vulnerable in the defence since the injury to Virgil van Dijk.
The injury to Liverpool’s star defender saw Jurgen Klopp choose to play Fabinho at centre-back. But now the Brazilian is injured, the Champions could find themselves short in defence. Joe Gomez is the only fit centre-back in the Reds squad.
Gomez is of course a good player, but he does not have the same presence as Van Dijk or Fabinho. The English international, however, will not be able to complete the backline himself, which means that a youth defender will have to be called up, or a full-back played out of position.
Liverpool are also sweating on the fitness of star goalkeeper Alisson Becker. The keeper has been missing for the last few games, meaning former Hammer Adrian has been forced to cover. The Spaniard has not performed as well as the Brazilian, further weakening the Reds defence.
If the injury to Fabinho does make him miss the game, it could lead to an interesting match-up. West Ham could go into the game without Michail Antonio, who has an injury problem himself, meaning it would be likely for Sebastien Haller to deputise.
Despite scoring against Wolves in a cameo appearance, Haller has found minutes in the Premier League hard to come by. With Antonio set for a spell on the sidelines, Haller will have to step up and strangely the match against Liverpool could be shaping up perfectly for him.
To get the best out of the French striker, the Hammers need to get quality service to him. If the support players like Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals and possibly Said Benrahma are able to do this, then Haller could dominate the Reds defence.
The match against Liverpool will be a tough match for the Hammers, but an injury to another key defender could improve West Ham’s odds of getting a positive result.