STATS: Downing’s passing for Liverpool vs Noble’s crossing for West Ham

Liverpool v West Ham, Sunday 13:30

– Liverpool showed good resolve to battle back in the second half against Aston Villa, with Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard propelling Brendan Rogers’ side to a 1-2 victory.

– Stewart Downing has come in for a lot of negative press during his time at Liverpool but this season he has been defying his critics and turning in a string of excellent performances. The winger has been active in both defence and attack, successfully completing 76.4% of his 17 attempted tackles and completing a pass in the opponent’s half on average once every 3.9 minutes.

– Luis Suarez will once again be out to torment the opposition defence this weekend, the Uruguayan proving almost impossible to handle at ties this season. He close control and spatial awareness has pushed him to first in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for dribbles this season with 45.

– Brendan Rogers will be keen to see Daniel Sturridge involved this Sunday, given the striker’s solid accuracy in front of goal this season. It has taken the England international on average just 31.3 minutes to have a shot on target whilst he’s been on the field of play, a run of form that could be key against a sometimes shaky Hammers defence.

– A dominant forward display from Andy Carroll saw West Ham inch closer to Premier League survival with a 3-1 win over West Brom.

– The Hammers will miss Carroll, who is ineligible to play against his parent club, this weekend. The big Geordie looks to be coming into form again, having bagged two goals in an excellent all-round performance last weekend and taking an average of 9.2 shots to score this season.

– Look for Mark Noble to provide the service for many of West Ham’s opportunities this weekend, the midfielder having provided a squad-high 46 crosses this season.

– New Zealand international Winston Reid has been the standout defensive performer for Sam Allardyce this campaign, racking up 130 defensive contributions. This is a full 39 more than James Tomkins, his nearest rival in the Hammers’ squad.