Mark Lawrenson has predicted Liverpool to defeat West Ham 2-0 when the two sides meet at Anfield on Sunday.
The BBC Sports pundit stated that he believed the Hammers should be aiming to finish 10th in the Premier League in the upcoming season whereas the Reds should be aiming higher.
Lawrenson revealed that in his opinion the Reds will be able to push Manchester City in the race for the league title and believed they will start their pursuit of the Premier League crown with a win against Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
“Both of these teams have had a busy summer in the transfer market and, after struggling last season, West Ham have got to be aiming for the top 10 this time,” said the pundit in his predictions on BBC Sports’ website.
“Liverpool are aspiring to finish a bit higher, obviously, and when I look at the signings that all the teams have made, they look like they have done the best business.
“I think the Reds will push City for the title this season and I am backing them to begin with a win.”
OPINION
It seems despite both sides having a busy summer transfer window that Lawrenson is still backing the Reds to win. This shouldn’t be a surprise as the pundit regularly tips a win for Jurgen Klopp’s side. However what is interesting about his prediction is that he is backing a clean sheet for the Reds as it shows that he believes in the ability of new signing Alisson Becker who is likely to make his competitive debut for the club on Sunday. This is interesting because the Hammers have significantly boosted their attacking threat in the summer transfer window and the Reds will have to deal with several eager attackers who will no doubt want to mark the Hammers debuts with a goal. This is one of the more intriguing match ups of the opening weekend of the Premier League as there will be several new faces featuring and it may end up being of case of whose new players have settled in the quickest.
