Liverpool vs Fulham preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Over 2.5 goals

• Both teams to score

• Match to end in a draw

It is fair to say that Liverpool are in a… Slot of bother. 

The reigning Premier League champions have won just two out of their last eight matches in all competitions since the beginning of March (D1 L5), suffering defeat in each of their last three by an aggregate score of 8-1.

After being humbled 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend, a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League saw the Reds record their lowest match Expected Goals (xG) under Arne Slot.

Liverpool were also beaten 2-1 at Brighton in their most recent Premier League match prior to the international break. In fact, the reigning Premier League champions have remarkably lost more league matches (10) than they have won (nine) since gameweek six (September 27), with 11 teams accumulating more points in the division than their 34 in that period.

Fortunately for Liverpool, a fifth-placed finish will be enough to secure Champions League football for next season and Slot’s side currently occupy fifth spot with seven games left to play.

As a result, a return to winning ways is imperative, especially with Chelsea facing Manchester City and Brentford facing Everton across the weekend.

Fulham, meanwhile, are very much in contention to qualify for Europe – whether that be the Europa League or the Conference League – and head to Merseyside in decent form having won three of their last five league matches.

Only four teams have accumulated more top-flight points than the Cottagers in the last six gameweeks (10), while only Bournemouth and Man United (both nine) have picked up more points from losing positions this calendar year than Marco Silva’s side (eight).

Liverpool are winless in their last three Premier League meetings with Fulham (D2 L1) and only once have they endured a longer winless league run against the Cottagers (four matches between 1966 and 1967).

Fulham have scored 13 goals in seven Premier League games against Liverpool since their return to the division in 2022 – only Spurs (14) and Brighton (15) have netted more against the Reds in that time. Also, no PL team this term has scored more goals in the last 20 minutes of matches than Fulham (18, level with Liverpool). 

Interestingly, Liverpool have conceded 18 goals in that period, two more than any other club.

Liverpool Premier League form: 🟩🟩🟩🟥🟧🟥

Liverpool form (all competitions): 🟥🟧🟩🟥🟥🟥

Fulham Premier League form: 🟥🟩🟩🟥🟧🟩

Fulham form (all competitions): 🟩🟩🟥🟥🟧🟩

Liverpool will remain without Alisson Becker through injury, while Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo are long-term absentees.

With one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG, Slot may opt to freshen things up where possible; that could mean a start for Andy Robertson at left-back.

Alexander Isak played the final 12 minutes in Paris, his first appearance in three-and-a-half months, but is unlikely to start as he’s not yet up to full match sharpness.

Mohamed Salah was an unused substitute against PSG and will be pushing for a return as Slot reverts back to a 4-2-3-1 formation after the back-five experiment ultimately failed in the Champions League.

Fulham hope to welcome Kenny Tete back from injury, but Calvin Bassey is a doubt with a back problem that forced him to pull out of the Nigeria squad during the international break.

Club-record signing Kevin, however, is set to miss out after undergoing successful surgery on an injury to his fifth metatarsal last month.

Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitike

Fulham: Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Iwobi; Wilson, King, Bobb; Jimenez

Expect goals this weekend.

Both teams have scored at least twice in each of their last three Premier League meetings; only two fixtures in Premier League history have had 2+ goals scored on four consecutive occasions (Brighton vs. Leicester City and Crystal Palace vs. Man City).

While Fulham’s Anfield record is poor, they should view this fixture against an out-of-sorts Liverpool as their best opportunity in years to claim a positive result. 

With the hosts reeling from three successive defeats, the visitors possess the attacking threat to exploit a fractured defence and may do enough to earn a share of the spoils.

Correct score prediction: Liverpool 2-2 Fulham