West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says Liverpool will not be able to complain about the grass if they fail to get a result at Upton Park on Saturday.
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Liverpool claimed a 2-1 win when they visited West Ham in April, but captain Steven Gerrard said afterwards that their hosts had "tried everything to upset" the Reds, adding: "We knew what to expect and we got a bit more than we expected -- a hot dressing room, a dry pitch and the bus had to park a mile away."
West Ham denied those claims at the time and Allardyce, addressing the media ahead of this weekend's match, preferred to shift the focus onto the controversial winning penalty Liverpool had been awarded that day.
"I remember last year we were sadly done by a refereeing decision," he said. "They complained that they had to park too far away, the dressing rooms were too hot, the grass was too long -- whatever.
"It was a shame they won on a dubious penalty because we played ever so well. Hopefully we can repeat that minus the penalties."
New rules mean the grass on Premier League pitches can be no longer than 3cm, and Allardyce added: "There is a certain amount of grass height that we now have to stick to.
"It has never been a problem for me that teams play on a pitch that is the same for both, whatever that pitch might be.
"I don't know what the next thing is that we will be instructed to do. I just think that they take those small and little things too far. There are more important things to consider."
Regardless of the pitch, Allardyce is hopeful that Liverpool's participation in the Champions League on Tuesday night might give his side an advantage.
"I hope so," he said. "It depends on the squad Brendan [Rodgers] has assembled. On past history of playing teams after they've played in Europe, and having taken Bolton into Europe, I know how hard it can be.
"He has assembled a big squad. Whether he plays the same team on Saturday that played on Tuesday is something we have to try and predict.
"If we can seek out any advantage we will do. From our part we'll concentrate on things within our power and that is making sure we play well to the best of our abilities."
He also admitted there was little prospect of the Hammers attempting to take the game to Liverpool.
"We're playing at home which makes it a bit different," he said. "We're not going to go all out to attack them. They'll set up a bit differently away from home. We have to take into consideration the talent Liverpool have as a team and as individuals.
"I think one of the most important things will be how well we look after the ball, and what we do with it when we've got it. They leave a few gaps due to the attacking style they play, so we'll have to exploit them when we can. We might not get as much possession as we usually do so we'll have to make the most of it, and take the chances we create.
"I'm not daft enough to say we're going to press Liverpool and pin them back in their own half -- I don't think that is going to happen -- but we're going to try when we can but make sure at the same time we're resilient at the back. If we're on top of our game we'll give them a very good match."