Can the Reds go 63 matches unbeaten at Anfield — and equal the
club’s all-time record for an unbeaten league run at home?

LIVERPOOL VS. WEST HAM UNITED

| Saturday, October 31st |Premier
League | Anfield5:30PM GMT/1:30PM EST

David Moyes comes to the home of the reigning champions hoping
to right a troubling pattern in his managerial career: he has not
won a single game at Anfield in his 16 attempts with four different
clubs (Everton, Manchester
United, Sunderland
and West Ham United).

The Hammers have started 2020/21 brightly. After losing the
opening two Premier League matches, West Ham have not lost in the
previous four, drawing with both Manchester
City and Tottenham Hotspur, and defeating Leicester
City and Wolves — though they were defeated by Everton in the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup.
Barring the 1-1 draw with Manchester City last time out, West Ham games have
been quite high-scoring affairs, with 26 total goals (17 for, 9
against) scored in just the last five fixtures.

The absence of star-man Mikhail Antonio might prove a challenge
for Moyes, though Jarrod Bowen and Sébastien Haller will be
expected to fill in for the tricky forward at Anfield. New(ish) boy
Tomáš Souček is also one to watch: he’s been in good form for West
Ham this season, recycling possession well and playing smart passes
to start attacks. He is also strong defensively, and will be the
major hurdle for the Reds.

As always worth mentioning with Virgil Van Dijk out of the side:
West Ham are a tall squad, with their average height coming in at
just below 6 feet (180 cm). Since the restart, they have created 55
shots from set pieces (including corners), scoring 10. It’s likely
that Moyes will have concentrated on set plays as an area to
exploit in Van Dijk’s absence.

Projected Liverpool
Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Williams, Gomez, Robertson;
Henderson, Thiago, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mané

Real predicted lineup: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Williams,
Gomez, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum; Firmino, Jota, Salah,
Mané

Quite honestly, who knows what we’ll see at center of dense
tomorrow and moving forward. You assume Klopp will aim to get Joël
Matip back for Manchester City, as you wouldn’t imagine the manager
will want to sacrifice a midfielder for the role against Pep
Guardiola’s side, and it would be a big ask to field youngster Rhys
Williams at the Etihad.

Reports of Mikhail Antionio being out for this one will be a
boon for Klopp (just as the absence of Virgil Van Dijk will be a
boost for Moyes’ side), as Antonio is hard to deal with. With
Antonio’s unpredictability out of the squad, Klopp might favor
minutes for Williams as Matip and Fabinho work to return to
fitness.

Luckily Jordan Henderson’s halftime substitution was not
required by injury but was rather a “responsible” move from the
manager, so we can expect to see the captain in the side. If Thiago
is fit he might get a start to help the Reds thread through what
will likely be a crowded West Ham midfield and defense; he might be
held to making an impact off the bench, though, as Klopp is
managing a very difficult schedule and choosing how best to
allocate minutes. James Milner

I’ve predicted a 4-3-3 with Thiago to start purely due to
optimism on squad health (and the knowledge that the 4-2-3-1 is
graft to watch as the players seem to still be figuring out how the
system works), but the manager kept his cards close to his chest in
his pre-match press conference, and Thiago likely won’t feature.
Don’t be surprised by graft regardless of system, though, as West
Ham are well organized and will look to stifle creativity
regardless of formation.

West Ham have started the season brightly, but Sadio Mané and
Mohamed Salah have been involved in eight goals
in six games against West Ham, with 11 goals and six assists
between them. Mané has scored in each of his last four appearances
against West Ham, and will look to continue this deadly pattern.
Diogo Jota, who has scored in each of his two Premier League
appearances, will look to score in each of his first three if given
the chance; the last player to do this was one Luis García.

Also a notable positive: should he start today, it will be Trent
Alexander-Arnold’s 100th league start. This accomplishment follows
quickly after Andy Robertson’s similar accomplishment and Salah’s
100th goal — these markers coming in rapid succession underscore
the stability within the squad.

What the Managers Had to Say

Jurgen Klopp, speaking on the schedule
challenges this season, and changing formations: “It’s more
difficult — nearly impossible, but it’s possible … My job is to use
the squad in the best possible way, and that’s what I try to
do.”

David Moyes, looking for his first win at
Anfield: “Probably the biggest thing going up to play Liverpool is
without their supporters: their support makes such a difference,
with no crowd behind them hopefully that might make a difference as
well.”

The Officials

Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistants: Simon Beck, Eddie Smart Fourth
Official: Craig Pawson VAR: Chris
Kavanagh Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis

Kickoff is set for 3PM GMT/10AM EST tomorrow, and television
listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping
you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news
as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps
from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the
discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on
the action as it happens.