West Ham have by far the biggest injury list of all their Premier League rivals as they prepare for their home match against Premier League leaders Liverpool tonight.
The Hammers have an unprecedented 11 players potentially sidelined for the return fixture against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
Marko Arnautovic with a foot problem, Lukas Fabianski with an arm issue, Lucas Perez with an ankle problem and Aaron Cresswell with a hamstring strain all could play but face late fitness tests to evaluate if they are available for Manuel Pellegrini.
Centre-half Fabian Balbuena with a knee problem is out until early March, new signing Samir Nasri is close to a return but needs another week of recovery and Manuel Lanzini is looking forward to coming back after almost a season on the sidelines and the Argentinian could return in early March.
Jack Wilshere with an ankle problem, Andriy Yarmolenko with his achilles rupture, Carlos Sanchez with a knee injury and Winston Reid also with a knee injury are all long-term absentees and are all possibly going to miss the rest of the season.
The most important player who could return tonight is Arnautovic who is a game time decision and is now firmly a West Ham player after signing a contract extension. Crucially for the Hammers Felipe Anderson is fit to play so he will give Liverpool plenty to think about.
West Ham lost 4-0 to Liverpool at Anfield and will be looking for revenge tonight and based on their performances against other top teams – they beat Arsenal, Man Utd and Everton plus gained a point through a 0-0 draw with Chelsea since they faced Klopp’s men – Pellegrini will be looking for at least point or all three.
If Arnie plays we are predicting a 2-1 West Ham win as Liverpool seem to be playing with a lot of nerves these days since they took top spot in the Premier League. It should be a good game tonight as the Hammers look to end a 3 game losing streak but at least despite numerous transfer rumours West Ham have hung on to their key players and Pellegrini did not sign the likes of Mario Balotelli.