Dimitri Payet is as good as Mesut Ozil, claims Slaven Bilic

Enner Valencia picked up a knock in the triumph against Southampton, Victor Moses and Winston Reid (both hamstring) are unlikely to be fit enough to return and Diafra Sakho (thigh) is still on the sidelines.

West Ham United manager Slavan Bilic has heaped praise on his side’s upcoming opponents Liverpool, and believes they can win the Premier League this season.

Klopp also confirmed, as Sky Sports reports, that fellow midfielders James Milner and Joe Allen are major doubts with injury and illness respectively, and Divock Origi is also out.

Dimitri Payet (ankle), Nikica Jelavic (knee) and Aaron Cresswell (muscle) could all return to action against Liverpool.

“And I bet you that many clubs who have more points than Chelsea are more afraid that, with a bad run, they could get in more trouble than Chelsea.

It is a great boost for us and he will be involved in the game”, said Bilic in his pre-match press call before shifting gears to a few other notable absentees in winger Victor Moses and and defender Winston Reid.

He said: “We have to maintain the same intensity and if we do that we will do well”.

The Hammers welcome Liverpool to Upton Park on Saturday lying just one point behind the Merseysiders, in seventh, and sixth-placed Manchester United. We don’t have a specific target; we want to win every game.

Saints head to Norwich on Saturday looking to build on a promising first-half performance, which should have seen them go in at the break more than one goal ahead. Now, we will never say we have a chance to win the league. West Ham have been muddling through in his absence, with results dipping accordingly, but if he is anything like at his best, West Ham should be more unpredictable in attack and be able to pull Liverpool’s occasionally suspect defence into all sorts of frightful positions.

To ring in the New Year in the Premier League, West Ham takes on Liverpool at the Boleyn Ground.