Liverpool: 3 possible X-Factors against West Brom

Liverpool will face West Brom at the Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon, needing all three points in order to keep up in the race to secure a top-four finish in the 2020-2021 Premier League. Although the Reds have been up against it, their vital 4-2 victory over rivals Manchester United was a distinct reminder that they can very much pull this off.

West Brom are 19th in the table, but they will do everything they can to knock off the Reds, who absolutely have a target on their backs. Here are three X-Factors that could decide the outcome on Matchday 36 of the Premier League.

Roberto Firmino’s return to scoring form

After not scoring in the Premier League since Jan. 29 or even assisting since Feb. 13, Liverpool center forward Roberto Firmino had an assist off the bench last weekend in a 2-0 win over Southampton and then scored two vital goals in a 4-2 victory over Manchester United.

Firmino is currently at eight goals and six assists on the season, and he stands a good chance of adding to his tally against one of the league’s worst defenses. Beyond the recent goals and assist, Firmino has 9 key passes and 16 dribbles completed in his last 7 Premier League appearances, which shows that he’s still been chipping in as an all-around attacking influence

It’s easy to exaggerate Firmino’s struggles when he’s not scoring. Because he’s always helping Liverpool in some way. But now that the Reds are in crunch time, we can expect Firmino to turn up his scoring once more.