Liverpool prepare to face West Ham United in the Premier League.
Roberto Martinez has predicted Liverpool to suffer a blow in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.
The Reds welcome West Ham United to Anfield on Saturday aiming to bolster their chances of a Premier League top-five finish. Liverpool’s last-gasp 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend moved them level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea, who were held to a 1-1 draw against Burnley.
Arne Slot’s side can pile the pressure with victory over West Ham. Chelsea are not in action until a day later when they face leaders Arsenal, while fourth-placed Manchester United play Crystal Palace.
West Ham are scrapping for survival. They are 18th and two points adrift of safety. Liverpool will be heavy favourite going into the encounter - but current Portugal head coach Martinez reckons an upset is on the cards.
Speaking on Stick to Football, Martinez said: “What I think is, the manager at West Ham (Nuno) knows how to win at Anfield, and Liverpool struggle against teams that are very defensive. I fancy West Ham, 1-0, I don’t think they’ll score many goals.”
In response, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said: “To win!? Wow. I can buy into that all day long. I wouldn’t have gone with it, but I’m happy with it.”
In addition, Martinez also reckons that Chelsea will move clear of Liverpool. The ex-Everton manager believes that Liam Rosenior’s side will hold Arsenal to a 1-1 draw.
Wirtz absent from training
Meanwhile, Liverpool returned to training earlier this week after being given a few days off after the Forest win.
In footage uploaded by the Reds’ media team, Jeremie Frimpong has returned to action. The summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen has missed the past five games with a groin issue but was spotted rubbing shoulders with Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboszlai and Co.
However, there was no sign of Florian Wirtz with his team-mates in Kirkby. The attacking midfielder was due to start against Forest but was omitted from the starting line-up because of a back injury.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot was not overly concerned about Wirtz’s issue during his post-match press conference. Although the Germany international might have missed training, he could be being protected to ensure he can feature against West Ham.
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