ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Liverpool v West Ham  RAFAEL BENITEZ will be hoping that his team can concentrate on the crucial task of securing fourth place in the English Premier League tonight.

Victory over West Ham at Anfield will have to be achieved with Liverpool once again distracted by another potential takeover - with Dubai International Capital keen to take control of the club.

And the Anfield chief, who has lived with this turmoil at the club for months, knows Liverpool must win their long-awaited game in hand over their closest rivals if they are to gain the confidence boost of a return to fourth place.

Although West Ham are one of only three sides to beat Liverpool in the league this season, they have not won a league game at Anfield for 44 years.

So, if West Ham follow up last month's 1-0 win over Liverpool at Upton Park with another triumph tomorrow, Benitez will have a real crisis on the field to surmount anything going on off it.

But captain Steven Gerrard is concerned that West Ham, beaten badly 4-0 at home by 10-man Chelsea last Saturday, will want to hit back.

He explained: "As footballers, when you are on the end of a battering you hurt and you want to put it right straight away.

"They will come to Anfield hoping to get a good result, and a good result for them would be a draw.

"That is what they will come here to get, but a draw is no good for us."

Liverpool have waited the entire season for their game in hand to arrive - and Gerrard is desperate to pick up three points now it has finally arrived.

But he warned: "West Ham have bought some good players after a disappointing time for them last season. They have got good players and a good manager, so we have a lot of respect.

"We are desperate for the points though, and we are at Anfield. We have been waiting for this game for a long time, now we must make it count."

Sunday's 3-1 victory at Bolton made it three successive wins for Liverpool, a welcome run after a season blighted by draws.

They have had to settle for a point 11 times this season - six of those at Anfield - and Gerrard added: "I am confident we can now go on a winning run.

"Some of the draws have been very disappointing because we have been really good at home in the last few seasons. Normally we struggle away from home but it is vice versa this season.

"It was disappointing to lose to that late penalty at Upton Park," he added. "We didn't really feel under any pressure during the game and we didn't feel like we were going to lose the game. I think we deserved more."

Benitez will be without the injured Steve Finnan against West Ham, and concedes that now the race for fourth is between his own side, Everton and Aston Villa.

He said: "I watched some of Everton's game on Sunday after ours. I can only concentrate on my own team - but it does look now as if both Merseyside clubs will be battling for fourth spot.

"Aston Villa also have a lot of confidence and Blackburn won away from home. You never know, but maybe you can say that Liverpool, Everton and Aston Villa will be close."

This evening's fixture was initially postponed from the first week of the season because of Liverpool's involvement in the Champions League qualifying round.

Benitez said: "Our game in hand has been a long time coming, and now it is really important for us.

"That fourth spot is always important and if we win this game we are there, and from then on everything will depend on us and what we do."