West Ham can beat Premier League leaders Liverpool, claims Manuel Pellegrini
What's the story?
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that his side can beat Premier League leaders Liverpool when they face each other later tonight.
In case you didn't know...
The Hammers will walk into the game after Premier League defeats to Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as an FA Cup loss to AFC Wimbledon.
Pellegrini's men stand at 12th place in the Premier League table and a win tonight would take them above Leicester City, who lost points after their defeat to Manchester United on Sunday night.
Liverpool, on the other hand, will head into the game on the back of a 1-1 tie with the Foxes. The Reds are currently two points clear at the top of the league table after closest rivals Manchester City won against Arsenal to close the gap at the top.
The heart of the matter
Despite the odds, Pellegrini is adamant that the Hammers can get past Jurgen Klopp's men in tonight's clash.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former City boss said, "Of course we can beat Liverpool on Monday because every team can win every match in the Premier League. I don't know if they are nervous because I was not there in midweek. It will depend on their performance rather than the nerves."
"We want to beat Liverpool. We cannot play on nerves because they have top players who can change the game at any time. We need to play at a high pace like we did at home to Arsenal and Manchester United and other clubs."
What's next?
Liverpool will hope to secure all three points later tonight to extend their lead over the progressing Manchester City side that is determined to retain the Premier League title.
Meanwhile, West Ham will want to extend the gap from Brighton, who are trailing close behind and will hope to be able to grab the opportunity to overtake Leicester City.