Fulham Aim for First Points at Anfield Against Improving Liverpool

Fulham head to Anfield on Saturday still empty-handed in the Premier League, with Alvaro Arbeloa returning to a ground that once felt like home.

Three games, three defeats, seven goals conceded. Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace have all taken their turn, leaving Fulham anchored to the bottom of the table and already chasing the pack. The performances, Arbeloa insists, tell a different story.

“We create enough chances to win games… we know what we need to do to adjust,” he has argued, backing a group that has yet to turn intent into points. The Spaniard has spent the week underlining the positives, even as the table paints a stark picture.

Arbeloa back at Anfield

For Arbeloa, this is no ordinary away day. Anfield is where he spent much of his playing career, where he learned the rhythms of this stadium from the inside. Now he returns in the opposite dugout, trying to halt a Liverpool side he believes is on an upward curve.

After watching Liverpool’s midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, he was clear: they are “improving” and “controlling the games better.” Fulham walk straight into that storm on Saturday afternoon, still searching for their first point of the campaign.

The challenge is obvious. The margin for error, tiny.

Team news: stability over surgery

If Fulham are to get anything, they will have to do it with largely the same group that fell short in the derby against Crystal Palace. Arbeloa reported no fresh injury problems, leaving only Luc De Fougerolles and Tom Cairney sidelined as they continue their recovery from knee injuries. Cairney is edging closer, expected to be near full training after the international break, but this one comes too soon.

There was at least a small step forward last weekend. Summer signings Manuel Angel, David Affengruber and Hugo Larsson were all included in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time against Palace. Larsson even got on the pitch, handed a brief second-half cameo as he starts to feel his way into English football.

Arbeloa liked what he saw in that defeat, at least in terms of attitude. That means evolution, not revolution. He is expected to keep changes to a minimum, though one tweak could matter a lot: Sander Berge is pushing to start in midfield, potentially replacing Oscar Bobb if Arbeloa opts for a more solid, defensively minded core in front of the back four.

At Anfield, that temptation is hard to resist.

Predicted Fulham XI

Shape, though, should remain familiar. Fulham are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1, with structure and discipline the priority.

Fulham possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Charles; Iwobi, King, Palacios; Garcia.

That spine will need to hold. The full-backs will be asked to walk the tightrope between adventure and survival. The attacking three behind Garcia must carry the threat that Arbeloa keeps insisting is there.

Kick-off and broadcast details

The stage is set for Saturday, 12 September 2026, with kick-off at 15:00. As usual for that slot, the Premier League fixture falls under the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, so it will not be shown live on television in the UK.

So Fulham arrive at Anfield with no points, little margin for patience, and a manager returning to a place that knows him well. The question now is simple: does this become the day their season finally starts, or another step into trouble?