Fulham Vs Liverpool Match Preview (1 Viewer)

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After their last European match with Jurgen Klopp at the helm, Liverpool return to the Premier League on Sunday, heading to Fulham. Their Europa League run ended in a midweek defeat by Atalanta BC, while Fulham is riding high after beating West Ham United 2-0 last week.

Fulham's win over West Ham could have been even more convincing, if not for a strong performance by West Ham's goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski. Despite West Ham's focus on the Europa League, Fulham dominated, with both of their goals scored by Andreas Pereira. The first was from a Dinos Mavropanos error, and the second from a cross by Alex Iwobi.

With this win, Fulham has secured its spot in the Premier League for the 2024-25 season and can relax in the 12th spot, just two points behind Brighton & Hove Albion. They’ve been solid at home this season, with 28 of their 42 points coming from their own stadium, Craven Cottage. The only teams that have done better on home turf are those in the top six.

Liverpool, meanwhile, lost the Europa League tie to Atalanta despite winning the second leg 1-0, thanks to a Mohamed Salah penalty. But the early goal wasn't enough, as they couldn't make up for the 3-0 loss from the first leg. The defeat also followed their surprising Premier League loss to Crystal Palace, where Eberechi Eze ended Liverpool's 18-month unbeaten streak at Anfield.

Yet there's a chance for Liverpool to turn things around. With Manchester City focusing on the FA Cup and Arsenal playing away against Wolverhampton Wanderers, a win against Fulham could boost their league standing. However, Liverpool’s recent scoring drought from open play, having gone seven halves without a goal, might raise some concerns.

Their last clash with Fulham in the Premier League was a 4-3 victory, but it was a hard-fought game, indicating that Sunday's match could be another close encounter.

INJURIES & SUSPENSION​

Right now, 19 of the 20 Premier League teams have players on their injury list, but not Fulham. They’re the only squad with a clean bill of health as they prepare to host Liverpool.

Because of this, Fulham’s coach Marco Silva is likely to stick with the same lineup that defeated West Ham last weekend. Considering how many scoring chances they created in that game, there's no reason to change. So, it’s expected that Harry Wilson will start on the bench against his former club.

Meanwhile, Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz, who had been in hot form, is looking to break a three-game goal drought. London Stadium hero Andreas Pereira will continue to operate in the number 10 role after his impressive two-goal performance against West Ham. He made history by becoming the first Fulham player to score twice in an away London derby in the Premier League since Dimitar Berbatov did it against Arsenal in 2012.

Liverpool's injury situation has improved, but they still have some key players missing. Ben Doak and Joel Matip are out with knee injuries, and Thiago Alcantara is sidelined with a muscle problem. Conor Bradley is also out with an ankle injury, which will keep him out for a few weeks.

There’s some uncertainty around Stefan Bajcetic’s availability. He made a comeback with the Under-21s last Friday after a calf injury, but didn't travel to Bergamo for the Europa League match. After Thursday’s win, Klopp mentioned that both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alexis Mac Allister are showing signs of fatigue.

Because of this, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo could be in line to start, and Liverpool might freshen up their attack with Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota. The latter two are at opposite ends of the conversion rate spectrum, with Jota being more clinical. Overall, Liverpool will need to be strategic with their lineup to manage their injury concerns and keep their players fresh.

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS​

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Lukic; Iwobi, Pereira, Willian; Muniz

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Endo, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Jota

EXPERT PREDICTION​

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Fulham 2-2 Liverpool

Fulham's home defense has been impressive this season, with only Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool allowing fewer goals on their own turf. In fact, Fulham has averaged fewer than a goal against them in their last 15 games at Craven Cottage. The Cottagers have also given Liverpool a real challenge in their three meetings so far this season.

Liverpool's attack has been struggling lately. They haven't scored from open play in more than five hours of game time. Even though Jurgen Klopp has a lot of players to rotate in and out to fight off Europa League fatigue, it might not be enough. Given Fulham's strong home defense and Liverpool's current scoring slump, it's quite possible that the Cottagers could hold Liverpool to a draw, putting a dent in the Reds' title hopes.