Premier League leaders Liverpool visit West Ham – team news and live updates

Liverpool have yet to lose on the road this season but manager Arne Slot attributed that record to the calibre of teams they have faced so far.

Liverpool, who are seven points clear at the top with a game in hand, have won six and drawn two of their eight away games.

“Our away form has been good but maybe it has a bit to do with the teams we faced in the first half of the season,” Slot said.

“Mainly we faced the teams at the top half of the table at home and the other ones we faced away, so that might have something to do with it.

“We are a strong team away from home and at home as well. I don’t see any reason why we are stronger there and then here.

“But we can best judge at the end of the season once we have played every team home and away to see what fits us best.”

Alisson believes Liverpool’s league leaders cannot be compared with Jurgen Klopp’s greatest team but said Arne Slot’s side have to create their own history.

The goalkeeper is one of the survivors of the group who won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020 under Klopp, along with Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Mohamed Salah.

But he feels the current side, who have a six-point lead in the table, are so different that comparisons are irrelevant. Klopp christened the side he had in his final season “Liverpool 2.0” and Alisson believes that both the personnel and style have changed, with new head coach Slot adding his stamp.

Just the one change for Liverpool from the 3-1 win over Boxing Day as Luis Diaz replaces Darwin Nunez.

West Ham make four changes and look like they are setting up with a back-five as Vladimir Coufal starts in a defence that includes Max Kilman.

Carlos Soler is also fit to start and joins Lucas Pacqueta and Edson Alvarez in midfield, leaving Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus as the front two. Alphonse Areola replaces the injured Lukasz Fabianski in goal.

West Ham XI: Areola; Coufal, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soler, Paqueta; Kudus, Bowen

Subs: Foderingham, Cresswell, Summerville, Fullkrug, Guilherme, Ings, Todibo, Irving, Scarles

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; MacAllister, Gravenberch, Jones; Gakpo, Diaz, Salah

Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Nunez, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, McConnell, Danns, Quansah

We’re expecting line-ups from the London Stadium in the next few minutes…

Arne Slot continued to play down the significance of Liverpool’s place at the top of the Premier League despite it being strengthened by their 3-1 win over Leicester on Boxing Day.

“If you are in this game for a long time like the players and I am then 20 games before the end you don’t look at it as there are so many challenges ahead of you,” he said.

“Injuries and a bit of bad luck can happen to any team, it is far too early to be already celebrating – but it is nice for us to be where we are.

“I don’t think there was any easy win for us in any of these games; it could have been an easy win against Tottenham but we conceded two and it was then 5-2 – that tells you how difficult it is to win even when you have all your players available.

“That is why we have to take it one game at a time. The league table is something of course we are aware of but we always understand how many games there are to go.”

Liverpool are unbeaten in 22 games. They have won 22 of 26 under Arne Slot.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been terrific, looking to his manager to improve his defending while retaining his capacity to produce remarkable passes.

Mohamed Salah has seemed to reverse the ageing process. His Boxing Day strike against Leicester took him to 250 goal involvements in the Premier League for Liverpool – scored 171, assisted 79 – and, more topically, took him to the brink of his total for the whole of last season.

Then there is Virgil van Dijk, a year Salah’s senior at 33 but also looking timeless. The captain remains as imperious as ever. Friday marked the seventh anniversary of the announcement of his arrival from Southampton for £75m, next Sunday’s meeting with United falling seven years to the day since his goalscoring debut in a Merseyside derby.

New year, new context. Liverpool will enter 2025 top of the Premier League, a year of seismic change that could have sent them spiralling downwards instead sees them ending on a high. But if 2024 brought the departure of Jurgen Klopp, 2025 could see a trio of significant exits. From 1 January, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah will be able to discuss a summer move to a foreign club on a free transfer.

The date may not be ideal, given the first week of January contains a meeting with Manchester United. Yet Arne Slot has excelled in what could have been an awkward situation, smiling as he has declined to offer updates.

Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended while Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley miss out once again. Otherwise, Arne Slot has a full squad of players to choose from.

Lukasz Fabianski, Carlos Soler and Max Kilman look set to miss out on Sunday after picking up injuries against Southampton on Boxing Day, while Tomas Soucek and Guido Rodriguez are suspended.