Can Chukwueze, Iwobi and Bassey compound Slot's woes? Expert says no — Backs Liverpool to win

Liverpool are sandwiched between two legs of a Champions League quarter-final against PSG and have just lost three games in a row.

Fulham will arrive at Anfield unbeaten in their last three meetings against the Reds, only five points behind them in the table, and with three Super Eagles ready to cause problems.

We put it to our in-house football analyst, Ifeanyi. His answer was immediate and shorter than usual.

• Fact Check - Is Ifeanyi right?

CORRECT: Anfield is still Liverpool's fortress. Home advantage is real and a bouncing crowd after three straight defeats will add intensity.

• BUT CONSIDER: Since Matchweek 6, Liverpool have lost more league games (10) than they have won (9).

Eleven clubs have collected more points than them in that period. This is not the same Liverpool that won their first five games.

• AND THIS: According to the Premier League, Liverpool rank 19th for high-intensity pressures in the opponent's half and 20th in the middle third.

That’s 289 fewer than any other side. A tired team, squeezed between PSG legs, is exactly the kind of opponent Fulham have been built to exploit.

CORRECT: Fulham are unbeaten in their last three against Liverpool. But six of their last ten meetings have ended in draws.

Ifeanyi's instinct about a Liverpool home win is not wrong, it is just not as certain as he makes it sound.

Calvin Bassey starts at centre-back, Fulham's Player of the Season last year and their defensive anchor.

His battle against the departing Mohamed Salah and Ekitike will define Fulham's defensive shape.

Alex Iwobi operates as the creative engine in midfield, looking to exploit Liverpool's sluggish pressing in transition.

Samuel Chukwueze may or may not start, but even from the bench, his pace is the kind of weapon that punishes tired legs in the final twenty minutes.

Three Nigerians. One game. Plenty at stake.

• Primary: Draw - Double chance

We respect Ifeanyi's home instinct but the data pulls us toward the draw. Six of the last ten meetings between these sides ended level.

Liverpool are fatigued, between PSG legs, and losing games they should be winning. Fulham are unbeaten in three straight against them. Back the draw at around 3/1, a N1,000 bet returns N4,000.

• Secondary: Under 2.5 goals

A cautious Liverpool managing minutes between Champions League games, against a Fulham side that will defend deep and hit on the counter.

Their last meeting ended 2-2 but four of the last six head-to-head games have produced two goals or fewer.

Under 2.5 is available at around 4/5 — a N1,000 bet returns N1,800.

Liverpool 1–1 Fulham. Ifeanyi's bounce-back narrative is tempting. But Fulham don't lose at Anfield anymore and Liverpool right now give you very little reason to trust them.