EPL Preview: West Ham Looking to Improve Record Against Liverpool

West Ham vs. Liverpool

Avram Grant will be looking to use the match against Liverpool to improve on West Ham's current position (19th in the table), but it is easier said than done, as West Ham is the perennial underachiever against Liverpool. The past 16 times they've faced Liverpool, West Ham has lost 13 of them, which in any record book is nothing short of horrible.

Even though Liverpool's form has improved massively the last few weeks, it still has left them with a lot of work to do in order to get the coveted Champions League spot. Kenny Dalglish has managed to turn around the poor results Liverpool had been getting during Roy Hodgson's time.

The draw against Wigan in the last league match is the only blemish in the last few weeks for Dalglish. He could be boosted by the return of Steven Gerrard, who is expected to retain the starting position in the center of midfield. However, he will be ruing the absence of Glen Johnson and Danny Agger. Grant will be without the services of Robbie Keane and Matthew Upson for the match.

Man City vs. Fulham

Man City got things back on track in the European competitions with a win in the recent Europa League match. They will be looking to transfer their form in Europe to the Premier League, especially given that they seem to have lost the edge in the title race.

Edin Dzeko's arrival has given some impetus upfront for Roberto Mancini, but many have been criticizing the manger's tactics as the sole reason for not making full use of Dzeko's talent. Fulham, meanwhile, will be the club providing the source of the return for former Man City manager Mark Hughes to Eastlands.

He was sacked in acrimonious circumstances in favor of current manager Mancini, and he will definitely be looking to get one over his successor. Even though Mancini got the better of Hughes earlier this season, this will be a different Fulham than the one he previously faced.

Both sides will be missing a number of players, and the players not featured in the match include the likes of James Milner and Vincent Kompany for Man City while Chris Kamara and Steve Sidwell will not be in line for Fulham either.

Stoke vs. West Brom

Stoke will be taking on a West Brom side that has been given a new lease of life under new manager Roy Hodgson. It did not take long for Hodgson to take his first points as West Brom manager after he achieved it against Wolverhampton.

He will be looking to build on that by winning against Stoke, which is coming on the back of two successive defeats in the Premier League. The match against West Brom will also give Tony Pulis the perfect opportunity to stop the rot and get some points.

Even though West Brom has been poor away from home all season long, that could change with the arrival of Hodgson at the helm. Youssouf Mulumbe is the one currently giving Hodgson injury worries. However, he will be boosted by the return of Scott Carson and Jonas Olsson for the match.

The situation does not seem to be better for Pulis, since he will be missing the likes of Matthew Etherington and Abdoulaye Faye for the match. Stoke could leapfrog Newcastle in the ninth position with the victory, which will certainly be a motivation for Pulis.

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