Three months after serving up one of the best FA Cup finals in history, Liverpool and West Ham United clash once again in the more mundane circumstances of an early-season Premier League encounter on Saturday.

Liverpool lifted the FA Cup on a penalty shoot-out in May after Steven Gerrard had dragged them back into an action-packed match and secured a 3-3 draw with a stunning 90th-minute piledriver.

That must seem a long time ago for Gerrard, who was on duty throughout England's [Images] painful World Cup campaign and has already helped get Liverpool past Maccabi Haifa and into the group stage of the Champions League.

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With that all-important hurdle cleared, Liverpool can give their full attention to the league, having played just one game so far, a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United on the opening day.

Gerrard has been used sparingly to date -- he came on as a substitute after feeling unwell before Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Maccabi in Kiev -- but will almost certainly start on Saturday as Rafael Benitez already faces something on an injury crisis.

Mohamed Sissoko, who started the season on fire, suffered a knee injury against Maccabi that will rule him out for at least two weeks while John Arne Riise, Jamie Carragher, Stephen Warnock and Harry Kewell are also out of action.

Benitez said his team are struggling to settle.

"When we have got over this game with West Ham and then the two-week international break you will see a side improving and progressing together and ready to take on the really big teams in the Champions League," he said.

"You will see a much better team then."

RARE REVERSE

West Ham, still bruised from their Cup final loss, got off to a good start with a 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic and a 1-1 draw at Watford, with striker Bobby Zamora up and running with three goals already.

"He is a natural goalscorer who is in good shape now," manager Alen Pardew said of a striker who failed to find the net in his last 19 games last season.

Watford are at home again on Saturday to Manchester United [Images], who have made a flying start with two wins and eight goals.

"After just two games you cannot talk about the league yet but of course we have the will to do it, we have the players to do it and without question we have the spirit in the camp to do it," Alex Ferguson said after Wednesday's 3-0 success at Charlton.

Chelsea suffered a rare reverse, going down 2-1 at Middlesbrough, and after manager Jose Mourinho said his players had deserved nothing more there could be changes for their visit to Blackburn Rovers.

Arsenal [Images] are at Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur host Everton and Aston Villa against Newcastle are the pick of the rest of the weekend's fixtures.  

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