Liverpool hope to extend their lead at the top of the League on Saturday afternoon when they host Fulham at Anfield.
The Reds missed the opportunity to put more points on the board last weekend after the postponement of the Merseyside derby and they looked a tad rusty in their 1-0 Champions League win over Girona midweek. Arne Slot’s side remain in exceptional form, however, and will be expected to continue their hot streak against the Cottagers.
Fulham have shown their ability to cause issues for the division’s top teams this season. Marco Silva’s side have taken points off Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in two of their last three outings and were regular troublemakers for Liverpool last season.
The Reds faced Fulham four times during Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge and all were fierce battles. Liverpool narrowly triumphed over two legs in the Carabao Cup semi-final, while the home fixture at Anfield in the Premier League required late goals from Wataru Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold to secure a 4-3 victory.
Alisson made his much-anticipated return from injury during the victory over Girona on Tuesday and swiftly showed his class with some fantastic saves in the clean sheet. Caoimhin Kelleher will be on the bench for Fulham’s visit.
The Reds remain without Conor Bradley, Kostas Tsimikas and Ibrahima Konate in defence for Saturday’s encounter, with all three not expected to return until closer to the end of December.
Federico Chiesa has earned some minutes with Liverpool’s Under-21s recently after a long stint out of the squad and could return on Saturday having missed the win over Girona. Diogo Jota is closing in on a return after two months out and could be part of the matchday squad this weekend.
Alexis Mac Allister was due to miss the Merseyside derby through suspension after accumulating five Premier League yellow cards but he will now serve his one-game ban against Fulham this weekend.
Fulham will be missing two players through suspension for the trip to Anfield. Tom Cairney is serving the final game of his three-match ban for a red card against Tottenham, while Calvin Bassey will miss the weekend after picking up his fifth yellow card of the term against Arsenal last weekend.
