West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has played down the fact Liverpool will be without star striker Fernando Torres at Anfield on Monday night (Reds 2/5, draw 7/2, Hammers 7/1).

The Spain star is set to miss around six weeks because of knee surgery in Barcelona but Hammers chief Zola is refusing to get carried away.

The Italian argues that French youngster David Ngog (11/8 Score Anytime) is a more than capable deputy if selected by Reds boss Rafa Benitez.

Zola said: “Liverpool can still cause us problems. Torres is a big asset but I like David Ngog, he can be a problem for us.

“We don’t have to think about Torres’ injury being an advantage for us, we still need to perform and do very well.”

West Ham (4/1 To Be Relegated) go into tonight’s game three points above the Premier League relegation zone with matches running out.