West Ham United head to Liverpool this Saturday in fairly good spirits. The Hammers 0-0 draw with AFC Bournemouth was not the result they had hoped for but it continued the team’s strong defensive performances. The gap between West Ham and safety is now just two points, with Nottingham Forest conceding a late goal to lose 1-0 against the Iron’s opponents this weekend.
The Reds are pushing for a Champions League place this season, after a difficult second campaign under Arne Slot. Liverpool have won four of their last five games, and yet have struggled to find confidence in their own ability. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side head to Anfield expecting a difficult game, but know recent performances show that a result is possible.
One call that Nuno will have to make, is on central defender, Konsantinos Mavropanos. The 28-year-old took a hefty blow to the knee last weekend, and whilst he finished the game, needed treatment after the full-time whistle.
The Greek international has been in training this week, but not to his full extent. Nuno and the Hammers face a late fitness call on whether or not they will get their stalwart central defender at Anfield.
Konstantinos Mavropanos’s fine form
Since the turn of the year, Mavropanos has been key to everything West Ham have done in defence. The 28-year-old has been the key component since the change to a back-four, with the Greek commanding those around him, and helping everyone to improve defensively.
Konsatinos Mavropanos’s 2025/26 West Ham United Statistics
| Appearances | Clean Sheets | Goals |
| 23 | 4 | 0 |
The Irons look to have finally found the central defender an ample partner now as well. Axel Disasi has come in on-loan from Chelsea, and looked right at home. The pair look integral to West Ham now, sitting in front of the recently re-installed Mads Hermansen.
Hermansen in particular has hailed the impact of Disasi, stating that he compliments Mavropanos and has helped the whole team get better defensively. There’s no hiding that West Ham need all hands on deck in their survival fight, with the Greek defender almost being at the top of that list.
Liverpool vs West Ham: Tale of the tape
Its been five years since West Ham beat Liverpool, but the Irons did get a memorable draw against the Reds in 2024.
The then-David Moyes led Hammers took a 1-0 lead through captain Jarrod Bowen. Minutes later they were pegged back by an Andy Robertson goal, before things got worse as Alphonse Areola put into his own net. West Ham would claw back, earning a solid point as Michael Antonio levelled things up, 15 minutes before full-time.
Nuno’s Irons will be hoping to emulate that as they head to Anfield on Saturday afternoon, knowing ever point counts in their bid for Premier League survival.
