Liverpool vs WBA Preview, Team News, Likely Line-Ups, Key Man & Predicted Score

Liverpool welcome West Brom to Anfield on Saturday hoping to close the gap on league leaders Arsenal.

The Reds head into the weekend action sitting joint second in the Premier League table but could be five points behind the Gunners if Arsene Wenger’s men beat managerless Crystal Palace in Saturday’s early kick off.

Therefore Brendan Rodgers will know how important all three points will be this weekend if he’s to maintain any hopes of challenging for the title this season.

Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Newcastle last weekend so will be looking to get back to winning ways against an impressive West Brom side who’ve already taken points off Manchester United and Arsenal this season and are unbeaten in their last five games.

The Merseysiders also lost both fixtures to Steve Clarke’s men last season so will be out for revenge on Saturday and will be in confident mood having won three of their four games at Anfield so far this campaign.

Team News

Rodgers has been boosted by the return of Lucas Leiva after the player sat out last weeks draw at St James’ Park following the birth of his daughter, but the Brazilian may struggle to regain his place straight away with Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson are also vying for starts alongside Steven Gerrard in midfield

Jose Enrique is still struggling to shake off a knee injury so Aly Cissohko is expected to continue on the left, while Daniel Agger could return in defence at the expense of Martin Skrtel.

Playmaker Philippe Coutinho is back in training but the West Brom game will come too soon for him, with a comeback against Arsenal next week a more realistic comeback date.

West Brom are sweating on the fitness of winger Scott Sinclair, who’s struggling to overcome a hamstring injury, and the on-loan attacker is expected to miss the trip to Anfield.

Goalkeeper Ben Foster remains on the sidelines and he’s joined by George Thorne and Zoltan Gera.

Likely Line-Ups

Key Man

Daniel Sturridge: The England striker has been in red-hot form so far this season and has struck up a devastating partnership with Luis Suarez since he returned from his suspension. We can see Sturridge playign a key role this weekend.

Predicted Score

Liverpool 2-1 West Brom: The Reds will edge this one and while West Brom won’t be an easy nut to crack, the ‘SAS’ partnership up front should prove too much for the visitors to handle.

What would be your starting line-up for the game and what’s your score prediction? Share your thoughts below.