Liverpool will hope to close in on the top four with a win vs Fulham when the two sides meet in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Liverpool are coming into the game vs Fulham on the back of four consecutive victories. So they will be confident of grinding out a positive result here. Jurgen Klopp’s men picked up a 4-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the last outing, and they should be able to find a way past the Fulham defence.
The London club are currently 10th in the league table and they have been in mediocre form recently. Fulham have lost their last two league matches and they have picked up just two wins from the last six outings in the Premier League.
Furthermore, they have a disappointing record against Liverpool. So it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly and pull off an upset at Anfield.
Back in action against Fulham tomorrow 👊🔴 #LIVFUL pic.twitter.com/qQ1B4z10wC
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 2, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
The home side will be without the services of Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, Calvin Ramsay, and Stefan Bajcetic. Ramsey and Bajcetic are ruled out for the remainder of the season. Keita and Firmino have returned to training, but they are not fit enough to feature here.
Meanwhile, Jota scored the last-minute winner against Tottenham, but he is struggling with a knock and is a major doubt for this contest. Liverpool are likely to continue with the usual 4-3-3 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will continue as the full-backs. Alexander-Arnold has been in breathtaking form over the last five matches and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates and help out the team defensively.
On the other hand, Robertson looked vulnerable against Tottenham and he will have to improve defensively. Ibrahima Konate will start along with Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
In the midfield, Thiago Alcantara is expected to start here alongside Fabinho, who will be the defensive midfielder. Curtis Jones continues to impress with his performances, and he managed to get on the score sheet against Spurs. The boyhood Liverpool fan will look to extend his fine run of form and influence the game with his creativity against Fulham.
Cody Gakpo is set to lead the line for the Reds with Mohamed Salah on his right and Luis Diaz on the left. Diaz was handed his first start after a lengthy injury layoff, and he managed to score against Spurs. He will look to get on the score sheet once again.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
Fulham
Marco Silva will be without the services of Layvin Kurzawa, Tim Ream, Andreas Pereira, and Aleksandar Mitrovic. Mitrovic is suspended and the other three are sidelined with injuries. Fulham are likely to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bernd Leno in goal.
Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will be deployed as the full-backs. The duo will look to set up counter-attacking opportunities for their side and help out the central defenders. Issa Diop will start at the heart of the Fulham defence alongside Tosin Adarabioyo.
Harrison Reed and Joao Palhinha will start in the midfield pivot and two players will look to sit deep, break up the Liverpool play and protect their central defenders.
Harry Wilson and Bobby De Cordova-Reid will start as the wingers. Tom Cairney is likely to be deployed as the central attacking midfielder in the absence of Pereira and Carlos Vinícius will continue to lead t he line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Adarabioyo, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Wilson, Cairney, Reid; Vinicius
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Liverpool have scored at least two goals in their last five matches in the Premier League.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in five of the last six matches against Fulham.
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Fulham have conceded goals in each of the last six matches across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the first player in Premier League history to provide an assist in five consecutive games TWICE.
A generational talent. pic.twitter.com/aUEOqgNHnR
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 30, 2023
The Liverpool defender has been in exceptional form in his last few outings, and he has created numerous goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. The 24-year-old has six assists in his last five league matches.
Meanwhile, he will look to help Liverpool break down a resilient Fulham defence and grind out all three points. There is a line of thought that people should get off Alexander-Arnold’s back. And with improving performances, that is exactly what should happen.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Fulham
Both teams will be desperate for a win here, but the Reds are undoubtedly the better team on paper. They are on a four-match winning run in the league, and they will be reasonably confident heading into this contest.
Despite the absence of players like Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool have enough quality in their attack to dismantle a weakened Fulham side. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home side here.
