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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Nathan Ridley

Liverpool could kick off at West Ham at a disadvantage as 'curse' faced for final time

Sometimes, football throws up things you can't explain.

Why do Arsenal falter in February? Why do England struggle to win knockout games on ITV? Why can't Liverpool win a game in their disco kit?

That's a question which Jurgen Klopp won't be able to answer but hopes never to hear again after his side's trip to West Ham on Wednesday. For the final time this season, Liverpool will wear their white away kit as they're forced into a change at the London Stadium - and it'll only bring back bad memories for their travelling supporters.

In a bizarre hoodoo, Liverpool have never won when sporting the disco-inspired pattern and scored just three goals. Beginning with a bruising defeat away to Manchester United back in August, the Reds have gone on to lose at Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, while also slumping to a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

To affirm their apparent curse, Liverpool's under-21 side wore the away kit in all three of their Papa Johns Trophy matches last autumn and lost on each occasion. The Reds' youngsters replicated the first-team when they were beaten by Rochdale, Salford City and Accrington Stanley on the road.

Liverpool's third kit - a dark green effort with red trimming which has only become more favoured by fans as a result of the white's woes - has given Klopp and co a 50-50 record. Wearing it for their Champions League victory over Ajax in Amsterdam worked a treat, but not so much for January's 3-1 defeat at Brentford.

Liverpool's curse began with a 2-1 loss away to arch enemies Manchester United (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Their most recent defeat came at relegation-threatened Bournemouth, with Mohamed Salah missing a penalty (Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Fortunately for the seventh-placed Reds, their trip to West Ham will be the final time this term that they'll have to change from their famous home attire and get their disco on. Following the trip to the capital are three home games before visits to Leicester in May and Southampton on the final day, where the green is set to have its farewell.

With seven games remaining, Liverpool could yet achieve a top-four finish after what's largely been a wretched campaign, although their chances of returning to the Champions League are slim. The Reds are enjoying their best run of form since the World Cup, winning two and drawing two of their last four games.

Have your say! Will Liverpool beat West Ham? Give us your score prediction in the comments section.

Liverpool have fared better on their travels wearing green (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Currently on course to qualify for the Europa Conference League, which would be rather humiliating new territory for the club, Klopp has insisted that his players need to show that they're worthy of playing in Europe next season. "We have to still prove ourselves," the German boss declared.

"We cannot talk about consistency when you win two games, especially when you win the second one (Saturday's 3-2 win at home to Forest) like we did where the defending was not perfect to say the least… We have to keep it going.

"There were a lot of things to like in the last two, two-and-a-half games and that's what we have to continue. We have to make sure it's not too difficult for people to watch us, that they like it again."

He's right, as watching them in white has been difficult enough.

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