Fulham vs Liverpool preview as Jurgen Klopp set to be without 7 key players

Fulham vs Liverpool preview as Jurgen Klopp set to be without 7 key players

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:08 PM
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  • Liverpool will once again kick off their Premier League campaign against a newly promoted side
  • The Reds look quite strong going into the fixture, and are expected to cruise to an easy win
  • Jurgen Klopp’s side shockingly lost 1-0 the last time the two sides met thanks to a Marco Lemina goal, but both sides have undergone massive changes since then

Liverpool prepare to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage in what promises to be an interesting early kick-off encounter on Saturday, August 6.

Jurgen Klopp’s side come up against a newly-promoted side for yet another opening league game of their campaign, but a win might not be as straightforward as many perceive on paper.

Fulham were the dominant side in the Championship last season as they gained automatic promotion by scoring 106 goals and garnering 90 points in English second tier.

Liverpool, Klopp
Jordan Henderson captain of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on August 04, 2022 in Kirkby, England. Photo by Andrew Powell.
Source: Getty Images

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For Liverpool, the 2021/22 season was another tale of close shave as they were narrowly beaten to the title by Manchester City on the final day.

Team News, Fulham

Ahead of the fixture, Fulham boss Marco Silva has a few injury concerns to deal with.

Liverpool academy graduate Harry Wilson will be the biggest miss for Fulham, as he is still recovering from a knee injury.

The newly promoted side will also be without Joe Bryan (fractured hand) and Nathaniel Chalobah (unspecified).

Bernd Leno is likely to start between the sticks for Fulham after completing his move from Arsenal last week.

Fulham's possible starting XI:

Leno; Mbabu, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Reid, Pereira, Kebano; Mitrovic

Team news, Liverpool

While Fulham has one one or two injury concerns, Klopp’s issues are more dire as he is set to be without seven first-team players for the game.

The only boost for Liverpool is the return of Alisson, who has overcome a minor issue, but Klopp is still set to be without the services of Kostas Tsimikas (knock), Ibrahima Konate (knee), Naby Keita (illness), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring), Curtis Jones (calf), Diogo Jota (thigh), and Caoimhin Kelleher.

Klopp is expected to go with his typical 4-3-3 formation despite the departure of Sadio Mane, who has since joined Bayern Munich and is thriving in Germany so far.

Mohammed Salah and Luis Diaz will be first choice out wide, while Darwin Nunez, who has started to show some promise will compete with Roberto Firmino for the False 9 position

Liverpool's possible starting XI:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Firmino, Diaz

Head to head

In 2020/21, Fulham somehow went unbeaten against Liverpool in both Premier League fixtures, stealing four points from the Reds despite suffering relegation.

As far as managerial head to head is concerned, Jurgen Klopp Klopp lost his first ever meeting with Marco Silva in 2017 when Liverpool lost to Hull City.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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