The Premier League leaders round off 2024 away from home as they take on West Ham on Sunday evening.
The Reds continue to boast a healthy buffer at the summit and they can extend their advantage over second-place Arsenal to nine points if they win in east London.
Arne Slot’s side have barely put a foot wrong during the first half of the season and are set to compete on multiple fronts down the stretch. They, of course, were in a similar position last year before fading, so the Dutchman will be keen to oversee an alternate conclusion to the campaign.
Liverpool’s come-from-behind win over Leicester on Boxing Day means they’ve won 13 of their opening 17 league games and are on course for a 93-point season.
Sunday’s opponents, West Ham, have steadied over the past month but they’re yet to inspire under Julen Lopetegui. The Hammers are unbeaten since they lost at Leicester on December 5, but the jury is still out on their Spanish coach.
They’ve been fortunate to earn positive results in their previous two outings against Brighton and Southampton, but their uptick means they enter Sunday’s contest 13th in the table.
Lukasz Fabianski has impressed as of late for the Hammers, but he suffered a nasty-looking head injury in the win over Southampton and is expected to miss out on Sunday. Alphonse Areola will come in for the experienced Pole.
Max Kilman was another casualty from the Boxing Day triumph, but the defender is more likely to feature despite sustaining a shoulder injury. Carlos Soler is also a doubt, while midfield duo Tomas Soucek and Guido Rodriguez are suspended.
Slot has confirmed that Liverpool will once again be without Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate for their final outing of the calendar year. However, the Reds have not yet been troubled by any fresh concerns.
The Dutchman must be wary of burnout given the busy schedule, but there are unlikely to be wholesale changes from the Boxing Day XI.
Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season against Leicester, while Luis Diaz could once again be used in a central striking position with Slot keen to manage Diogo Jota’s minutes carefully. Darwin Nunez has not done enough to retain his starting berth.
