West Ham United trio expected to return for Anfield trip after missing Arsenal clash

West Ham United have are set to be handed a triple injury boost ahead of their trip to Anfield on Sunday (11 December) with Aaron Cresswell, Michael Antonio and Cheikhou Kouyate expected to be declared fit after recent injury problems.

The trio missed the Hammers' 5-1 loss at the London Stadium to Arsenal last weekend (3 December) but are expected to return to the first-team squad for their game against Liverpool, according to the London Evening Standard. Slaven Bilic has come under increasing pressure owing to his team's poor performances this campaign and will be hoping to turn their fortunes around sooner rather than later.

Cresswell and Antonio are key elements of the Croatian manager's team as he prefers to play a 3-4-3 formation and they were sorely missed as the Gunners outplayed their London rivals in their previous Premier League fixture. They are currently just one point above the relegation zone in 17<sup>th and a loss this weekend and a win for either Hull City or Sunderland will see them drop into the danger zone.

Bilic is confident that his team can shake off the ongoing slump and climb back up the table and finish in the top 10, but admits that the results of the next few games could decide his future at the club. West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan, meanwhile, has backed the under-fire manager to turn their fortunes around and gave no indication that he is fighting for his future.

"Slaven cares passionately about the Football Club and this defeat will be hurting him as much as anyone. I have no doubts that he is doing everything he can to address the situation and everyone is working together to ensure we turn our season around," Sullivan told the Hammers' official site.

"We cannot forget the amazing job that Slaven did in his first season at the Club. With a bit more luck he could have taken us into the top four. His passion, commitment and outstanding track record at the highest level were among the many reasons we appointed Slaven in the summer of 2015.

"Despite what some people have said, there is still a great spirit among the players and everyone is working towards the same objective," he added.