PREVIEW:FULHAM VS LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS

12 weeks after Liverpool’s 2021/22 Premier League finale against Wolves, it’s time to start things all over again.

While the Cottagers are attempting to avoid a swift relegation back to the second tier, Jurgen Klopp’s team was forced to accept second best once more last season.

Liverpool will begin another Premier League campaign at Craven Cottage against a newly promoted team when Fulham hosts the Reds on Saturday.

Fulham and Marco Silva’s main objective this summer is to dispel the notion that they are a yo-yo team by demonstrating that they are capable of sustained success in the Premier League.

Fulham dominated the competition to return to the top flight with 90 points and 106 goals from the 2021–22 Championship season, including 43 goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic. However, winning just two of their final seven games took some luster off of their trophy.

The Premier League’s influence was most strongly felt in the acquisition of Joao Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon. Silva also welcomed Manor Solomon, Kevin Mbabu, Bernd Leno, and Andreas Pereira to Craven Cottage this summer.

Fulham is in a good position to try to secure survival this time around after beating Nice and Estoril and holding Villarreal to a score draw in pre-season, though Benfica put five past them and they lost all five of their opening-day top-flight matches the season after their promotion.

Liverpool fans will not want to know who Fulham’s most recent Premier League victory came against during their dismal finish to a doomed 2020–21 season, in which they lost eight and drew two of their final 10 games.

While winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup twice is no small feat, Liverpool appeared capable of achieving the unheard-of quadruple dream for a significant portion of the 2021–22 season before Real Madrid and Manchester City succeeded.

The fact that they were unable to add to their already-brimming collection of Champions League and Premier League trophies did somewhat dampen the mood, especially in light of the fact that Reds legend Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa team nearly pulled off the biggest final-day upset against Man City before Pep Guardiola’s team came roaring back.

In addition to winning the race to sign Darwin Nunez and finally persuading Mohamed Salah to sign a new contract through 2025, Liverpool has already won a number of victories off the field by defeating the current league champions in the Community Shield.

Red Bull Salzburg, Manchester United, and Strasbourg all defeated Liverpool in preseason, but Klopp was willing to field teams over the summer that included backups and young players, and their streak of victories in the Premier League now stands at 19 games.

Fulham’s most recent Premier League victory over Liverpool was a 1-0 victory at Anfield in 2021, and they also held the Reds to a draw at Craven Cottage in that same year. However, this weekend, Liverpool will try for their fifth opening-day victory with at least three goals scored in a row.

FULHAM TEAM NEWS

Harry Wilson, an ex-Liverpool player, may be out for as long as two months with a knee injury, which is particularly bad news for Fulham.

It will be necessary to assess Joe Bryan’s broken hand, Nathaniel Chalobah’s unidentified injury, and loan signing Solomon, who was only officially registered as a Fulham player on Monday.

Leno, Mbabu, Palhinha, and Pereira could all make their competitive debuts for the Cottagers this week, with Mitrovic continuing to lead the line.

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Mbabu, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Reid, Pereira, Kebano; Mitrovic

LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS
For Liverpool, preseason injuries have also been mounting, and Klopp will undoubtedly start the season without Diogo Jota, Caoimhin Kelleher, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

In his pre-game press conference, Klopp ruled out Curtis Jones, Kostas Tsimikas, and Ibrahima Konate. Meanwhile, Naby Keita’s illness has proven to be more challenging to treat than first anticipated.

Alisson Becker will be okay to take over in goal, according to Klopp, and a new shootout between Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez will decide who will start up front.

Liverpool possible starting lineup

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