Fulham host Liverpool on Sunday at Craven Cottage as they look to produce a strong sequence of results that would see them finish as far up the Premier League table as they can. Ahead of that encounter, here's a preview that includes a Fulham vs Liverpool prediction.
Quick stats
- Fulham have won just six of their Premier League games, and have been without victory at home since beating fellow Londoners Tottenham Hotspur in mid-March.
- Fulham may have struggled for victories of late, but when they've won — their last three victories, specifically — they've done so cleanly, beating West Ham United, Tottenham, and Brighton & Hove Albion without conceding.
- Speaking of clean sheets, Liverpool just haven't had enough in their last ten games: only one, in Thursday's UEFA Europa League trip to Atalanta.
- Liverpool may still be alive in the title race, but, of the three teams with realistic prospects of winning the league, they've dropped the most points in their last five matches: seven.
Match preview
Fulham's triumph in the previous matchday, away to West Ham, was received by their fans with exhilaration, yes, but also with great relief. That 2-0 result ended a frustrating three-game run without victory, and it brought Marco Silva's side back on track for a top-half finish — or even, quite possibly, one of the low-hanging European places.
Beating Liverpool would be a massive boost to those hopes, and, psychologically, the Cottagers would be immensely fortified for the rest of the run-in.
Liverpool have been through a torrid period in the past month, winning just three of their last six games.
That rough patch has seen their ambitions of adding to February's Carabao Cup win whittle down significantly; now out of the FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League, all they have is a shot at the Premier League — but even that is out of their hands after last week's shock home loss to Crystal Palace.
Soon-to-depart boss Jurgen Klopp would seek a reaction on this trip to the capital, one more meaningful and electric than the pointless 1-0 victory in mid-week.
Nigeria international Calvin Bassey only joined Fulham last summer, but has quickly established himself as one of the team’s starting centre-backs.
The only league games he's missed since first completing 90 minutes for the club in October last year was due to a cold and the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON); he's started and finished every other fixture in that period except the one in the immediate aftermath of the aforementioned tournament, away to Aston Villa.
A fit Bassey is certain to start, and he definitely won't pass up the chance to register his second goal for Fulham when Liverpool come to town this weekend, after netting his first against their North-West rivals Manchester United earlier this year.
Further upfield, Alex Iwobi, Bassey's compatriot, would likely also be influential in his team's fortunes. The midfielder-cum-winger has racked up seven goal contributions for Fulham in the league this season, but he also appears to be breaking/matching some record every week.
His assist for one of the two goals that beat West Ham last time out was the 29th of his Premier League career — four of which came against Liverpool, during his Arsenal days — taking him level with the legendary Nwankwo Kanu, and that came shortly after he overtook another Nigerian great, John Mikel Obi, in terms of minutes played in Premier League history.
Fulham vs Liverpool H2H: last 10 games
January 2024: Fulham 1-1 Liverpool
January 2024: Liverpool 2-1 Fulham
December 2023: Liverpool 4-3 Fulham
May 2023: Liverpool 1-0 Fulham
August 2022: Fulham 2-2 Liverpool
March 2021: Liverpool 0-1 Fulham
December 2020: Fulham 1-1 Liverpool
March 2019: Fulham 1-2 Liverpool
November 2018: Liverpool 2-0 Fulham
February 2014: Fulham 2-3 Liverpool
Fulham vs Liverpool prediction
Liverpool's recent form suggests another slip-up might be on the cards, but their favourable head-to-head — six wins from the last ten to Fulham's one — could be a helpful crutch that aids them to a victory that keeps their dwindling title hopes alive.
Fulham, winners in just half of their last three games at Craven Cottage, and with six home league defeats already, would have to be in top shape to claim the spoils.
Fulham vs Liverpool: Predicted lineups
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Lukic, Iwobi, Perreira, Willian; Muniz
Liverpool: Alisson; Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mac Allister; Diaz, Nunez, Salah
