Merseyside | Liverpool desperately need some positivity this weekend

West Ham United v Liverpool preview

After a disaster of a week, Arne Slot's side head to the London Stadium on Sunday to face a resurgent West Ham.

Author | William G

Stadium | London Stadium

West Ham v Burnley at the London Stadium

They were humiliated 4-1 at home by PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night to suffer their third straight defeat (all by a three-goal margin) across all competitions.

The reigning champions of England are now 11 points adrift at the top of the Premier League, with their hopes of retaining the title slipping rapidly.

Liverpool have suffered nine defeats in 12 matches, leaving Arne Slot under intense scrutiny. The Dutch manager will be eager to secure a win when his side travels to the capital.

The debate around Slot’s future as Liverpool manager

Slot will be aware that scrutiny is part and parcel of a high-profile role, but the central issue now is whether he is the right figure to steer a struggling side back on course.

There is little doubt that the current squad invites criticism, and questioning those involved is a natural response for anyone connected with Liverpool.

European Super Football | Champions League | A crisis at Anfield is really starting to develop eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-cr...

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Still, given what Slot achieved in such a short period, taking the team ahead of schedule, there is a case for his employers to retain faith in his ability to return Liverpool to where they belong.

Should he be dismissed, it would be disheartening to see the manager responsible for last season’s title-winning moments unable to find a solution. At the same time, one could respect the decision, even if reservations remain about the people responsible for assembling a squad now so clearly unbalanced.

Team news for this trip to West Ham

The reds suffered a fresh injury blow when Hugo Ekitike limped off just after the hour mark against PSV with a back problem and is now a doubt to face West Ham.

Alisson Becker was absent for the midweek defeat due to illness and faces a race against time to be fully fit for the trip to London.

Florian Wirtz, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong will be sidelined with injuries, while Alexander Isak is set to return to the starting line-up as he seeks his first league goal for the Reds.

A quick look at the opposition

Next up: Liverpool at London Stadium ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/ASrrBEIV8P

— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 27, 2025

After a poor start to the season, things have started to look up since Nuno Espirito Santo arrived. They are now unbeaten in three and have won their last two games at home.

In a further boost for the club, Crysencio Summerville has returned to training this week. The Dutch winger has been sidelined with a calf strain and missed the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, but he is likely to be available for the visit of Liverpool.