Raul Keen To Extend Goal Spree

Raul Meireles will aim to extend the hot-streak that has seen him plunder five goals in his last six league matches when Liverpool visits West Ham on Sunday.

The Portuguese ace has been in scintillating form since Kenny Dalglish took control of first-team affairs and has been a major player in the Reds' eight match unbeaten run.

Earlier this season the Reds won 3-0 at Anfield with goals from Glen Johnson, Dirk Kuyt (pen) and Maxi coming in the opening 38 minutes.

Last season at Upton Park Liverpool emerged 3-2 winners with Fernando Torres (2) and Dirk Kuyt earning the points. Liverpool was twice pegged back before Torres netted the winner with 15 minutes remaining.

The Reds look to record their fifth league double over the Hammers in the last seven seasons.

Liverpool have won five of the last six clashes at Upton Park scoring 13 goals and conceding five and lost just once in the last eight visits.

In the last 46 league meetings home and away Liverpool have lost just five.

Liverpool has failed to score in only 2 of the last 12 league visits.

In those last dozen games the Reds have managed only 2 clean sheets.

In the last 6 meetings home and away Liverpool have prevented West Ham from scoring on 5 occasions, recording 5 wins and a draw.

Three Liverpool players have scored hat-tricks for Liverpool at Upton Park-Roger Hunt in 1965, John Toshack (1976) and Michael Robinson (1983).

Liverpool's biggest wins on this ground came in September 1965 and January 1976 when they won 4-0.

Their heaviest defeat saw them lose 7-0 in September 1930.

The last red cards issued in this fixture came in the same incident when Luis Garcia and the Hammers' Hayden Mullins were dismissed for an altercation.

Joe Cole played for the Hammers on 149 occasions scoring 13 times between 1998 and 2003.

Glen Johnson began his career at Upton Park making 16 appearances before his 2 year spell at the club ended in 2003.

Johnson's last goal for Liverpool came against today's opponents at Anfield in November.

Daniel Agger scored his first Liverpool goal against West Ham in a 2-1 win at Anfield in 2006.

Raul Meireles has scored in 5 of his last 6 league appearances for the Reds including games against 2 of the other W's - Wolves and Wigan.

Dirk Kuyt made his Liverpool debut against West Ham at Anfield in August 2006 while Jamie Carragher made his league debut against the Hammers at Anfield in January 1997.

The Reds are unbeaten in the last 6 league games since losing at Blackpool last month and have taken 14 points out of the last 18.

Liverpool is aiming to record a 3rd successive away win for the first time since May 2009.

Thursday's win over Sparta Prague extended their unbeaten run to 8 games.

Vic Watson is the only West Ham player to score a hat-trick against Liverpool, doing so September 1930 in the 7-0 win.

West Ham's last win over Liverpool came at Upton Park in January 2008 when Mark Noble scored a 93rd minute penalty for the Hammers to secure a 1-0 win.

That victory is their only success against the Reds in the last 17 league meetings home and away.

The Hammers are unbeaten in their last 3 away league games but at home have won just 1 of the last 5 (2-0 against Wolves on New Years Day).

They have scored 14 goals in the last 5 games in all competitions including 5 against Burnley in the F.A. Cup last Monday.

In the Barclays Premier League they have kept one clean sheet in the last 14 games.

Their 3 home wins in the top-flight have come against Tottenham (1-0), Wigan (3-1) and Wolves (2-0).

Frederic Piquionne is the Hammers leading scorer in the league with six goals - his last came in a 2-2 draw at Everton last month with his goal celebration seeing him pick up a second yellow card.

They have scored 14 goals at home this season - only Birmingham (13) have netted fewer in front of their home fans.