West Ham United v Liverpool
Barclays Premier League
Boleyn Ground
Saturday 9 May
5.30pm
Referee: Alan Wiley
• West Ham United welcome Rafael Benitez's Liverpool for the club's 18th home fixture of the 2008/09 Barclays Premier League season.
• Zola's side go into the match in seventh place in the Premier League table. West Ham have 48 points from their 35 matches and sit a point clear of Manchester City, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur with three games remaining. A seventh-place finish will be good enough to qualify for next season's UEFA Europa League.
• Liverpool go into Saturday's fixture second in the Premier League table with 77 points from 35 matches, three points behind leaders Manchester United, who have a game in hand. Victory would take Benitez's team top of the table, at least until United take on Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
• West Ham have won eight home league matches (Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, Stoke City, Fulham, Hull City, Manchester City and Sunderland), drawn two (Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion) and lost seven (Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea).
• The Hammers have conceded just two goals in their last five home matches in all competitions. Before the narrow 1-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea a fortnight ago, West Ham had drawn 1-1 with Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round and beaten Manchester City 1-0, drawn 0-0 with West Bromwich Albion and overcome Sunderland 2-0 in the league.
• West Ham have a plus-one goal difference heading into Saturday's game. Should the Hammers finish with a positive goal difference this season, it will be the first time the club has achieved such a feat since the 1985/86 campaign, when John Lyall's team ended the season third in the old First Division table with a plus-34 goal difference.
• Having played out a goalless draw at Liverpool on 1 December, West Ham are looking to complete the season unbeaten against Liverpool for the first time since 1998/99, when the Hammers won 2-1 at the Boleyn Ground and drew 2-2 at Anfield.
• This is the 104th league meeting between the two sides. Liverpool have won 53, West Ham have won 21 and there have been 29 draws.
• Saturday's match will be screened live by Setanta Sports. It is the 17th time the Hammers have been selected for live television coverage this season.
Referee
• Saturday's referee is Alan Wiley.
• Aged 48, Wiley has been a Premier League referee since 1999.
• Having learned his trade in the West Midlands (Alliance) League, Wiley joined the Football League List of assistant referees in 1991, before being promoted to the Premier League List three years later.
• In 2000, he was the fourth official at the last FA Cup final at the old Wembley Stadium, which saw Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0.
• Since becoming a Select Group referee ten years ago, Wiley has taken charge of the 2002 FA Community Shield, the 2006 League Cup final and, famously, the 2006 FA Cup final between Saturday's combatants.
• Wiley, who also refereed the 2008 Championship Play-Off final between Hull City and Bristol City, has taken control of just one West Ham fixture so far this season, the 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on 10 January.
• Wiley has issued 71 yellow cards and two red cards in 25 Premier League fixtures this season.
Last time out
Saturday 2 May 2009
Barclays Premier League
Stoke City 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Stanislas, Noble (Lopez 87), Kovac, Boa Morte (Collison 82), Tristan, Di Michele (Sears 89)
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Spector, Payne, Hines
Booked: Boa Morte, Neill
Goal: Tristan 33
Sunday 3 May 2009
Barclays Premier League
Liverpool 3-0 Newcastle United
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Alonso (Lucas 80), Mascherano (Ngog 89), Benayoun, Gerrard, Riera (Babel 63), Kuyt
Subs not used: Cavalieri, Dossena, El Zhar, Skrtel
Goals: Benayoun 22, Kuyt 28, Lucas 87
West Ham United
• West Ham go into Saturday's match seeking to strengthen their grip on a seventh-place Premier League finish and a place in next season's inaugural UEFA Europa League, the competition that will replace the UEFA Cup in 2009/10.
• West Ham's biggest ever home win over Liverpool came on 1 September 1930. The Hammers went top of the old First Division as Vic Watson scored four times, Stanley Earle twice and Wilf James once in a 7-0 victory at the Boleyn Ground. A crowd of 14,000 was in attendance.
• West Ham's most recent home win over Liverpool came last season. Mark Noble's 93rd minute penalty was enough to secure a 1-0 win on 30 January 2008.
• Last year's match-winner Noble will celebrate his 22nd birthday on Friday 8 May.
• West Ham have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last eight Premier League matches, the longest run in the top division.
• Carlton Cole is West Ham's top scorer in the Premier League this season with nine goals. He has eleven in all competitions.
• Goalkeeper Robert Green is the only West Ham player to have played every minute of the club's 35 Premier League matches so far this season. Matthew Upson has started 34 games, Herita Ilunga 32 and Lucas Neill 31.
• Cole has unleashed more shots on target (45), off target (29) and in total (74) and made more assists (5) than any other West Ham player. Cole has also been caught offside (28) and committed more fouls (62) than any of his team-mates.
• Defender Matthew Upson has made more defensive clearances (57) and blocks (30) than any other West Ham player.
• Noble has delivered more crosses (32) than any other Hammers player.
Liverpool
• Liverpool are on a superb run of form, despite being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea at the quarter-final stage. The Reds have lost just one of their last eleven matches, the only defeat being a 3-1 first-leg loss to Chelsea at Anfield on 8 April. During that eleven-match run, Liverpool have scored 35 goals.
• Liverpool's biggest ever win at the Boleyn Ground came on 6 September 1965, when the Reds left the Boleyn Ground with a 5-1 victory. Roger Hunt netted a three-minute hat-trick either side of half-time for Liverpool, while Gordon Milne and Ian Callaghan also scored as the Reds went in 4-0 up at half-time. Martin Peters got on the scoresheet for the home side on 53 minutes. Twice, in 1976/77 and 2007/08, Liverpool secured 4-0 wins in east London.
• Two Liverpool players, Jamie Carragher and Dirk Kuyt, made their debuts against West Ham. Carragher's first appearance came at Anfield in January 1997, while Kuyt's came at Anfield in August 2006.
• Striker Fernando Torres has scored 49 goals in 81 appearances for Liverpool. The 24-year-old has hit the net five times in his last five games.
• Liverpool's top scorer is Steven Gerrard, who has netted 21 goals in all competitions. Gerrard and Torres have both scored 13 times in the Premier League, with the Spaniard netting 16 in all competitions.
• Goalkeeper Jose Reina and defender Carragher have started all 35 of Liverpool's Premier League fixtures this season. Kuyt has started 33 and appeared as a substitute in the other two.
• Liverpool have had more shots off target (278), won more corners (253) and hit the woodwork more times (18) than any other Premier League team this season.
• Reina has kept 18 Premier League clean sheets in 35 matches this season, second only to Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar (19). Chelsea's Petr Cech has also kept 18 clean sheets this term.
• Gerrard is Liverpool's statistics leader in a number of categories this season. The England midfielder has had more shots in total (101), on target (47), off target (54), unleashed more crosses (77) and notched up more assists (8) than any of his team-mates.
• Carragher has made more defensive clearances (32) and blocks (14) than any of his colleagues this term.
• Alvaro Arbeloa has committed more fouls (35) than any other Liverpool player, while fellow Spaniard Albert Riera has won more free-kicks (41) than any of his team-mates.
• Kuyt has been caught offside more times (26) than any other Reds player.
Team news
• West Ham manager Zola could name largely the same squad of players that travelled to Stoke City last weekend, with the possible inclusion of Savio, Carlton Cole, Kyel Reid and Jordan Spence the only potential changes.
• Savio was unwell last weekend but has trained fully this week.
• Reid and Spence have returned from successful loan spells but Lee Bowyer will not be eligible to play for the club again this season because of suspension.
• Cole is making good progress in his recovery from the groin injury he suffered in England's 4-0 friendly victory over Slovakia at Wembley on 28 March. However, the 25-year-old is unlikely to be fit enough to be involved in Saturday's game.
• Wales midfielder Jack Collison may be back in the starting lineup after making a successful return as a substitute from the dislocated kneecap he suffered at Wigan on 4 March in last Saturday's win at Stoke.
• Scott Parker is working hard on his fitness following a long-standing groin injury but it remains to be seen if he will be involved when West Ham travel to Everton on May 16.
• James Collins (calf) and Kieron Dyer (hamstring) may also be fit to return to face Everton.
• England striker Dean Ashton is doing well as he continues his rehabilitation following a long-term ankle injury. The 25-year-old is now aiming to be fit to start pre-season training with his team-mates in early July.
• Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami is working hard at Chadwell Heath as he continues his recovery from the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered against Manchester City on 1 March.
• Wales defender Danny Gabbidon is continuing his recovery from back and stomach injuries by working with the club's medical staff at Chadwell Heath. Similarly Terry Dixon is over his knee troubles and is working hard on a personal programme to return to full fitness.
• Liverpool have a major doubt over the availability of Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso, who was injured following a late tackle from Newcastle's Joey Barton last weekend.
• Former West Ham midfielder Javier Mascherano is hopeful of recovering from a twisted ankle in time for Saturday's game.
• Spain striker Fernando Torres is also in line for a return to Liverpool's starting eleven after missing last Sunday's 3-0 victory over Newcastle with a slight hamstring strain.
• Switzerland midfielder Philipp Degen and Finland defender Sami Hyypia are both doubtful with a groin and knee injury respectively.
Last meeting
• The teams met at Anfield on Monday 1 December 2008. West Ham left Merseyside with a point from a hard-fought goalless draw.
• The lineups were:
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Dossena, Benayoun, Gerrard, Alonso, Riera (Babel 78), Kuyt, Keane (Ngog 66)
Subs not used: Cavalieri, Agger, Mascherano, Lucas, Insua
Booked: Alonso
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Faubert (Boa Morte 86), Parker, Mullins, Behrami, Bellamy, Cole
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Tristan, Davenport, Noble, Collison, Di Michele
Booked: Mullins
Attendance: 41,169
Old boys
• Liverpool and Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun made 72 appearances, scoring eight goals, during two seasons at West Ham United. Benayoun, who turned 29 on 5 May, arrived from Spanish side Racing Santander in the summer of 2005 before leaving for Anfield in July 2007.
• Liverpool and Argentina defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano spent half-a-season with West Ham United between August 2007 and January 2008. The 24-year-old made seven appearances in all competitions for the Hammers.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Craig Bellamy, Tom Bradshaw, David Burrows, Titi Camara, Charles Cotton, Julian Dicks, Ray Houghton, Don Hutchison, Paul Ince, David James, Rob Jones, George Kay, Mike Marsh, Neil Mellor, Neil Ruddock, Danny Shone, Rigobert Song and Thomas Stanley.
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
1 December 2008 - Liverpool 0-0 West Ham United
5 March 2008 - Liverpool 4-0 West Ham United
30 January 2008 - West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool
30 January 2007 - West Ham United 1-2 Liverpool
26 August 2006 - Liverpool 2-1 West Ham United
FA Cup final, 13 May 2006 - Liverpool 3-3 West Ham United
Overall record v Liverpool (all competitions) W 23 D 34 L 60
Next up
• West Ham will travel to Everton for a Premier League fixture on Saturday 16 May, with kick-off at 3pm
• Liverpool will travel to West Bromwich Albion for a Premier League fixture on Sunday 17 May, with kick-off at 1.30pm
Travel information
• The London Underground District line will be suspended between Embankment and Whitechapel.
• The Hammersmith and City line will be suspended between Liverpool Street and Barking due to planned engineering works. Replacement buses will operate between Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East and Whitechapel.
• The Jubilee line will be suspended between Stanmore and London Bridge. Two rail replacement bus services operate. Service A will run between Stanmore and Wembley Park, calling at Canons Park, Queensbury and Kingsbury. Service B will run between Wembley Park and Finchley Road, calling at Neasden, Dollis Hill, Willesden Green, Kilburn and West Hampstead.
• The Circle line will be completely suspended.
• The Waterloo and City line will run between 8am and 6.30pm.
• The Metropolitan line will be suspended between Moorgate and Aldgate.
• c2c services will run as normal on Saturday. For full details visit c2c-online.co.uk
• National Express East Anglia services will run as normal on Saturday. For full details visit nationalexpressanglia.com
General information
• Saturday's match is completely SOLD OUT
• Saturday's weather forecast is for sunny intervals with a maximum daytime temperature of 17C.