West Ham United vs. Liverpool: Why Arne Slot should fear Nuno Espirito Santo as Premier League struggles make Europe doubtful

West Ham United have the tools to beat Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League, Reds expert David Lynch has warned.

The Merseysiders will be looking for a response to their 4-1 loss against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday in the Champions League, though Sunday's opponents West Ham are certain to be challenging.

Liverpool have struggled to deal with teams that play direct football, a style that Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo has employed throughout his coaching career.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch was worried about the threat posed by Sunday's hosts, saying: "I'm massively concerned about this match because they've got all the ingredients to hurt Liverpool.

"What's worse is that Liverpool don't have answers to their problems at the moment, and you know that West Ham will sit in and defend deep before trying to hit them on the counter, and they've got plenty of players who are capable of doing that.

"They've got quality in Paqueta and Bowen, and then they've got Soucek for directness and getting on the end of set pieces - I'm getting sweaty palms talking about it right now. I'm very concerned for Liverpool in this game."

Liverpool had conceded twice from set pieces - excluding penalties - at this stage last season, but they have already conceded 10 times from dead-ball situations, and West Ham will hope to take advantage of that weakness.

Can Liverpool beat West Ham United at the London Stadium?

West Ham are unbeaten in their last three games, winning two times, though they surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 when they faced Bournemouth on November 22.

The Hammers have conceded at least two goals in seven of their past nine fixtures, and they could be vulnerable on Sunday.

Lynch believes that Liverpool will have chances to find the back of the net, when he told Sports Mole: "If you're looking for positives, West Ham were very lucky to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth at the weekend.

"West Ham didn't create much and Bournemouth dominated them in a game that they should have won comfortably, so if Liverpool can put up those sorts of chances, they'll win, but it feels like a big if at the moment.

"They've turned a corner a little bit but the underlying performances haven't been absolutely out of this world, so there should be an opportunity for Liverpool, and they should be able to keep out West Ham's threat as well."

Arne Slot's side have only scored one goal in their past three games, though they did miss numerous chances in those matches.

Champions League race: Will Liverpool finish in top four?

Liverpool are currently 13th in the Premier League with 18 points but could end the weekend in 14th place if results go against them.

Having lost six of their last seven games in the Premier League, there are concerns about the team's ability to qualify for the Champions League.

While the gap could be six points to the top four if the Reds lose, Lynch was confident that the team could get back in the race, telling Sports Mole: "If it does go to six, it's different to being six behind the league leaders because the league leaders win a lot of games.

"The team that's in fourth, third or even second will give you chances to catch them because they drop points more frequently. A six-point gap can be overturned quickly. If Liverpool win four or five on the bounce, they'll be comfortably in those Champions League spots.

"You would feel that they would be out of it more on the basis of if they perform badly enough to get beaten by West Ham rather than the points gap, but I don't think it's going to be a lost cause even if they lose."

A win for Liverpool could see them end the weekend in fifth place, one point from fourth-placed Sunderland, and potentially four points from second-placed Manchester City.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Liverpool's match against West Ham United