The England international has not appeared against the Reds since leaving the club while Brendan Rodgers hopes to welcome Daniel Sturridge back at some stage of the fixture

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has backed Andy Carroll to cope with the pressure of making his first return to Liverpool since swapping Anfield for Upton Park.

Allardyce’s men head to Merseyside on Saturday hoping to preserve their position ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League table.

Seventh-placed West Ham hold a one-point advantage over Brendan Rodgers’ side following a first half to the season that exceeded expectations.

This weekend’s fixture marks Carroll’s first return to Anfield since joining West Ham on an initial loan deal that became permanent in May 2013, and Allardyce has urged the striker to play his own game.

“I hope he doesn’t try too hard because that can put you off your game,” he said. “But football is a team game, so we want everyone to do well and help each other out.

“I’m sure Andy would like to score and we’ll certainly do what we can to try and help him do that. I certainly don’t think he has anything to prove, everyone knows how good he is.

“He just needs to focus and prepare like he does for every game, keep a calm head and play his normal game.”

Carroll, who will be joined by Stewart Downing in facing his former club, has hit form since returning from an ankle injury – scoring five goals in 12 league appearances.

But Rodgers has no regrets about letting Carroll leave, insisting the towering frontman – who scored 11 times in 58 outings in all competitions after his big-money move to Liverpool from Newcastle United – would have seen opportunities limited.

“I felt in terms of how I play and how the team has operated over a couple of seasons, he would not have been a regular here,” he said.

While West Ham are reaping the benefits of having their in-form English striker fully fit, Liverpool continue to patiently wait for Daniel Sturridge’s comeback from a combination of thigh and calf injuries.

Sturridge could be in line for a return this weekend, although Rodgers says he will not gamble with his fitness.

“We have to be careful with him as he’s been out a long time, but to have him back for the second part of the season will make us a better team,” Rodgers said.

“In the last few days, and in particular this morning [Thursday], he was brilliant in training – really back to what we had seen before. I can tell he is happy and feeling very strong in his own body.”

Liverpool have question marks over the fitness of Mamadou Sakho (knock), while Alex Song, James Tomkins, Carl Jenkinson (all “knocks and bruises” according to Allardyce) and James Collins (back) are doubts for West Ham.

The Northern Irishman admits he would like to bring more new faces to Anfield in the winter window but believes he will have to make do with what he has until the summer

Brendan Rodgers has confirmed Liverpool are unlikely to make any new signings in January but insists contract talks with star man Raheem Sterling are progressing well.

Liverpool splashed out over €120 million on eight players in the summer in a bid to rebuild their squad in the wake of Luis Suarez’s €88m switch to Barcelona.

And while Rodgers admits he would like to bring more new faces to Anfield in the winter window, he believes he will most likely have to make do with what he has until the end of the season.

“If we get a positive result on Saturday [against West Ham] that’ll put us in a great position [to challenge for the Premier League’s top four],” the Liverpool boss told reporters.

“Every manager will always want more signings… I would want to be able to do one or two things.

“But I always said the likelihood was we wouldn’t sign anyone in January and it looks like that is going to be the case.”

But Rodgers was significantly more upbeat on the future of Sterling, who is currently in talks with Liverpool over a new long-term contract that will reportedly make him one of the highest earners at Anfield.

“It’s all in hand with his representatives,” the northern Irishman added. “He’s happy and sees his long-term future here. He’s a real sponge for learning.”

The Italian has yet to score a Premier League goal for the Reds but despite talk of a return to Italy, the misfiring forward is determined to remain at Anfield

Mario Balotelli is “very disappointed” by his start to life at Liverpool, although he has no intention of leaving the club, according to his representative Mino Raiola.

The Italy international moved to Anfield from AC Milan in a €20 million summer deal but has struggled to hit the ground running on Merseyside, with his faltering form in front of goal leading to reports of personal unrest.

Balotelli has yet to score a Premier League goal in 2014-15 – indeed, he has netted just twice in all competitions – and Raiola admits that the striker has been unhappy with the way his Liverpool career has begun, though he insists that the misfiring forward has no desire to move.

The agent told Gazzetta dello Sport: “The plan is to continue at Anfield. I saw him Monday and told him: ‘You have a 4 year contract and I won’t bring you away. Or you leave Liverpool at 60-70 million, and I won my bet, or you’ll die there.’

“It’s the first time I make a speech like that to a player. I’ve seen him quiet, changed, different than Milan.

“Very disappointed with himself, too. He’s going through a bad time like he never had. In Liverpool he hasn’t his spaces: if you don’t make things as they want, you stay out. Then he was broken for eight weeks, he lost the rhythm.”

Balotelli has often been singled out for criticism this season but Raiola claims that the 24-year-old is simply the victim of “injustice” and that he is insecure.

“Of all the players I knew I’ve never met one forced to face the injustices suffered by Mario,” he added. “People do not know him, the truth is that Mario is an insecure boy, and due to his insecurity maybe he does stupid things.

“AC Milan needed a leader. Give the ball to Mario, he scores a goal, everyone is happy. But he is not a leader, and it is also wrong to ask him to be a leder.

“There are very strong players who have no leadership, others less strong but which have leadership.”