Liverpool host Fulham on Saturday afternoon looking to maintain their healthy lead the top of the Premier League. The game at Anfield has the potential to be a bit of a banana skin for the Reds though.
By Sam McGuire
The season so far
Arne Slot’s start to life as Liverpool manager has been near perfect.
The Reds have won 11 of their 14 Premier League games and currently have a four point lead at the top with a game in hand. The Merseysiders have a 100% record in the Champions League following their 1-0 win over Girona on Wednesday. They’re also into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Performances have been a little sluggish over recent outings though. A heavy schedule, combined with injuries to a number of players, have left Liverpool looking a little leggy. They weren’t at their best in the 3-3 draw with Newcastle United and struggled early on against LaLiga side Girona in midweek.
They can’t afford another uninspiring showing on Sunday. Not against a team like Fulham.
The Cottagers are 10th in the Premier League table but they are just four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Marco Silva’s side held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw last time out and have frustrated big sides this season. They drew with Spurs and had Manchester City on the ropes in a 3-2 loss. Fulham actually had an xG haul of 2.3 at the Etihad and, on another day, likely surprise the reigning champions in a shock upset.
They are one or two positive results away from being genuine challengers for a European spot. If they pick up a positive result at Anfield, momentum could be on their side heading into the busy festive period.
Previous Encounters
Fulham have claimed victory against the Reds in just one of their previous 14 encounters. That win arrived during Liverpool’s forgettable run in 2020/21, when Jürgen Klopp was having to navigate his way through the worst injury crisis of his managerial career.
Liverpool have won 10 of these 14 meetings. They have won four of the last five across all competitions against the Cottagers but it is worth noting that they have only kept one clean sheet in these games. Fulham always cause the Reds some problems. Expect them to do the same on Saturday.
Current form
Over the past five matches in the English top-flight, Liverpool have the joint-best record along with Chelsea, with 13 points from 15 on offer. The Reds have scored 12 and conceded six in these matches, with their impervious start to the campaign slowing down a little. They’re now giving up goals.
However, they’re still difficult to defeat. In fact, their last loss came back in September.
Fulham’s form has been decent over the past five league games. They rank sixth with eight points over this period and they have lost just one match.
The Injury situation
Liverpool are without Ibrahima Konaté, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas. Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa could return to the matchday squad though which would be a welcome boost for an attack solely reliant on Mohamed Salah for their goals at the minute.
Alisson made his first appearance since October in the 1-0 win over Girona and put in a Man of the Match performance for the Reds. That is a huge boost for Slot.
Fulham are without a number of key players. Calvin Bassey and Joachim Andersen, the club’s first choice centre-back pairing, are both missing. The former is suspended while the latter has a calf issue. Tom Cairney is suspended while Harrison Reed and Reiss Nelson both miss out through injury.
Prediction
It won’t be pretty but we think another Liverpool win is on the cards. With the cavalry potentially returning for the Reds, they have multiple ways to win matches and their attacking depth will be the difference on the day.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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