By Gary Fulcher and Daniel Rhodes.

2016 kicks off with a battle between 7th (Liverpool) and 8th (West Ham) at Upton Park on Saturday lunchtime – 12.45pm kick off UK time – with Liverpool hoping to make it three league wins in a row for the first time this season against the side who recorded a 3-0 victory at Anfield back in August. The Hammers will be hoping to complete a first league ‘double’ over us since the 1963/64 campaign when they won 2-1 at Anfield and 1-0 at Upton Park.

The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six league outings recording a 2-1 home win over Southampton on Monday, a result which was preceded by five consecutive draws in the Premier League, with that result against the Saints their first win in nine league games. West Ham’s total of eight draws is the joint highest in the division shared with Spurs, with four of those stalemates occurring at Upton Park.

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