Liverpool will be hoping Benteke is on form against West Ham today
Liverpool come into this weekend’s fixture as one of six remaining unbeaten sides in the Premier League after the first three rounds of matches. Their perfect record was brought to a halt in their last match having failed to score against Arsenal, twice hitting the woodwork. They will be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend to maintain their strong start to the season that has yet to see them concede a goal.
West Ham come into this tough fixture following back-to-back defeats, but will be looking to get back to winning ways. Their opening day victory away at Arsenal shows us that West Ham have the capability of coming away from a big club with all three points, and the positive memory of that win should serve them in good stead for their visit to Anfield.
A lot of people are going to have their eye on the attacking midfield talent on display in this match, in particular Dimitri Payet and Philippe Coutinho. Coutinho has made a solid start to the season, finding the back of the net once, completing seven dribbles, racking up four interceptions and 86 passes completed. He will be a vital weapon in the Reds’ armory going forward, as demonstrated by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Payet, according the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, may have had an even better start to the season than Coutinho. The summer signing has scored with his only attempt on goal, and whilst he has only completed six dribbles, he has completed 60% of his overall tally in comparison to Coutinho’s 53.8%. He has also put 29 crosses into the box, which is 24 more than Coutinho, and completed 12 more passes that the Liverpool man. Either way, this is likely to be a key encounter come Saturday.
Further forward still, it will be interesting to see who gets the edge in the battle of the strikers between Liverpool new boy Christian Benteke and the Hammers’ Diafra Sakho. Benteke, according to the EA SPORTS Player Perofmrance Index, has netted once this season from seven shots, of which four have hit the target. He has also showed his quality both on and off the ball by completing four dribbles and winning
four tackles respectively. He is 19/20 to score anytime with 888sport.com.
Sakho’s statistics are alarmingly similar to those of Benteke, as revealed by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Sakho has likewise hit the target with four of his seven attempts this season, and also completed four dribbles. Unlike Benteke, however, Sakho is yet to find the net, but will be hoping to at least even up that tally this weekend with his first of the season. He is 37/10 to score anytime with 888sport.com.
Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars with at http://fantasy.
