West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is refusing to put any extra pressure on England striker Andy Carroll to score against his former side Liverpool on Saturday.

Liverpool are unbeaten in the league since going down 3-0 at Manchester United last month and will host the Hammers at Anfield this weekend looking to bounce back from their League Cup exit to Chelsea in midweek.




Allardyce’s side registered a 3-1 win over the Reds at Upton Park earlier this season, but the Hammers boss is expecting a tougher challenge from a resurgent Liverpool this time around.

Liverpool are coming into the game after playing a gruelling 120 minutes against Chelsea on Tuesday in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final.
 


And though the Reds are in good form, the West Ham manager feels that game will have an effect on their performance on Saturday, opening a window for the Hammers to exploit.  

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"On any given day and the fact they played 120 minutes against Chelsea gives us an opportunity”, Allardyce said in a press conference.

"But I think Liverpool are in the best form they've had all season. I expect a very difficult game, but one we look forward to."

Carroll is returning to face his former club at Anfield this weekend and though Allardyce wants him to score against the Reds, he doesn’t want to build any unnecessary pressure on the player before such an important fixture.

"I'm sure Andy would like to score at Anfield, but we don't want him to get over anxious about going out to prove anything."

Carroll is going into the game in good form after scoring a goal each in his last two league games against Swansea and Hull respectively.

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