Fulham vs. Liverpool: Arne Slot told to "keep the wolf at the door" if Reds are to compete with Arsenal in title race

Liverpool must ensure they remain defensively solid against Fulham from set pieces if they hope to get closer to Arsenal, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.

The Merseysiders will travel to the capital to take on Fulham on Sunday, with Arne Slot hoping his side can push towards the top of the table.

Arsenal are currently 15 points ahead in first place, but that gap could be reduced to nine if Reds win this weekend and beat the Gunners at the Emirates on Thursday.

However, Lynch insisted that the club will not achieve any of their targets this season without addressing their frailty from set pieces, telling Sports Mole: "The results that they've been getting recently have given them a foundation.

"They should try to go and be a bit more expressive and play more, but they've still got to keep the wolf at the door - they conceded that set piece against Wolves, and they kept a clean sheet against Leeds, but you've got to maintain that.

"Whenever they concede from a corner or free kick, it feels like everything is going to go wrong, and that's something that the fans seem to feel whenever they watch the games."

Liverpool have conceded the joint most goals in the division from set pieces when excluding penalties (12), and Slot will hope that the dismissal of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs can spark an improvement from dead-ball situations.

Can Liverpool beat Fulham at Craven Cottage?

Liverpool are unbeaten in eight games, with their latest result a goalless stalemate with Leeds United on Thursday, and the draw has dampened optimism ahead of Sunday's clash at Craven Cottage.

Many fans were concerned by the team's performance, though the Merseysiders had won their prior four matches.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch acknowledged that the Reds have been playing poorly, but was keen to highlight that they have played better at times this season, saying: "Some of the bad results Liverpool had this season were off the back of decent performances.

"They've had performances where you look at the xG and the shots, and they should have won more comfortably at times and done better. Leeds is a good example of that, though they didn't win.

"Fulham is tricky. They can be tricky at home and so I reckon a 1-1 draw could be the result in this one, but it does at least keep the unbeaten run going."

The Cottagers have won six, drawn one and lost three of their past 10 league fixtures, with the Londoners winning three and drawing one of their last four top-flight matches.

Jeremie Frimpong or Conor Bradley: Who should Liverpool start?

While Slot has few options to choose from in attack due to injuries, he does have the option of either Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong at right-back.

The latter has at times been used in an advanced role on the right flank, though he is arguably more impactful when arriving into the final third from deeper positions.

Lynch praised the form of Frimpong, and was in favour of him starting on Sunday, when he told Sports Mole: "I would say he's just perfect for games like this where you're going to come up against a low block.

"Conor Bradley is no slouch going forward, but Frimpong has got the more qualities that are useful in attack. He got that game-breaking assist against Wolves, he started on the wing against Leeds and did well, so you have to look to start him in this one."

Bradley has struggled to impact games this season, from both a defensive and offensive perspective, so perhaps Frimpong will be selected in his place.