Preview: Liverpool vs. Fulham: team news, lineups and prediction

In Sunday’s Premier League match, Liverpool hosts Fulham at their Anfield fortress in the hopes of maintaining their perfect home record in the 2023–24 campaign.

The Reds defeated LASK Linz 4-0 on Thursday to go to the Europa League round of 16, while Marco Silva’s team narrowly prevailed 3-2 against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.

Match preview

In Thursday’s Europa League Group E match, Austrian powerhouse LASK Linz became the tenth visiting team to test their mettle on Anfield turf this season. Thomas Sageder’s team swiftly became the tenth club to leave empty-handed, as Liverpool comfortably advanced into the round of 16 with a game remaining.

After losing to Toulouse 3-2 and earning just one point, the Reds missed their chance to qualify three weeks prior. However, Liverpool secured the top spot with to goals from Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, and Mohamed Salah, who scored his 199th Reds goal.

As Liverpool gears up for an intense winter schedule, which begins this weekend with the first of eight games scheduled for December, Klopp understandably praised the significance of wrapping up progress early. This month, they play their final group game against Union SG, with nothing more at stake than pride.

The Reds’ match against Manchester City at the top of the table last weekend did not quite live up to the pre-game hype, but a brilliant strike from Trent Alexander-Arnold earned them a point in a 1-1 draw. However, Ruben Dias had to call a timeout after Manuel Akanji had knocked down Alisson Becker.

Liverpool now sits in third place after missing the opportunity to overtake the defending champions, Arsenal, who lead Klopp’s team by two points. Nevertheless, the Reds will host Fulham on Tuesday after winning all ten of their home games this season by a margin of at least two goals.

In Monday’s intense match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, where three spot kicks were awarded in the second half of the match, the Cottagers were also thanking their lucky stars for video assistant refereeing. The Wanderers, on the other hand, were left to lament yet another round of controversial decisions going against them. The match ended in a five-goal thriller.

Fulham’s four-game winless streak in the division came to an end when Willian, the winger for Fulham, scored twice from 12 yards, following goals from Alex Iwobi and Matheus Cunha. However, Wolves manager Gary O’Neil reeled off a list of questionable calls that the officials admitted wrongly went against his side on the evening.

The PGMOL may have offered Wolves a meaningless apology, but Fulham earned a crucial three points in their attempt to escape danger. The Cottagers are currently in 14th place in the standings, but they have a comfortable 10-point lead over Sheffield United in 18th place.

The good vibes in the Fulham camp could not last long, though, as the Cottagers have lost their previous six Premier League away games under Silva. They have now conceded in each of their last nine games in all competitions.

The lowest percentage for any team to play at least 10 away games against a single opponent is Fulham’s meagre four goals from 16 Premier League games versus Liverpool at Anfield. However, in May’s top-flight match, only a Salah penalty kick could separate the two teams.

More than the Reds’ stalemate with Man City last weekend, where both Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota tweaked leg muscles in the second half, none of Klopp’s players emerged from the victory over LASK with a new injury issue to report.

While Jota’s injury is more serious and Klopp is unsure of when the Portuguese attacker will return, Alisson will stay in the treatment room for a few more weeks, giving Caoimhin Kelleher just his sixth Premier League start for the Reds.

With Andrew Robertson (shoulder), Thiago Alcantara (hip), and Stefan Bajcetic (calf) out of the lineup for Klopp’s three long-term absences, Diaz should start for the hosts in the attack against Fulham. Salah needs one more goal to reach a fantastic 200 for the Merseyside giants.

Regarding the visitors, Silva will be happy to have the vital midfield player Joao Palhinha return to the engine room; Tom Cairney or Harrison Reed will have to make way for the Portugal international, who was suspended for the team’s victory against Wolves.

After defeating Wolves, the Cottagers also came out on top. However, Issa Diop is not likely to return from his foot injury anytime soon, and Adam Traore (thigh) and Rodrigo Muniz (knee) are also out of the running for the time being.

Ex-Liverpool winger Harry Wilson should not start against his former employers since both Iwobi and Willian are making a lot of net space. However, with Tosin Adarabioyo recovering from a groyne treatment, Silva faces a defensive conundrum.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Bassey, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Iwobi, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez

We say: Liverpool 3-0 Fulham

When Wolves visited town on Monday, it took a few strokes of luck for Fulham to cross the finish line. However, since the Cottagers have had plenty of time to heal, it shouldn’t matter too much when they play Liverpool.

With numerous rested big-hitters making a comeback to the starting lineup and playing goals for joy in front of their own supporters, Klopp’s crop should be able to maintain their 100% home record without too many setbacks on Sunday.