Fulham face Liverpool at Anfield this afternoon buoyed by their stoppage-time win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last Monday that felt like a massive result. It is no surprise that Marco Silva’s side have found their second season in the Premier League much tougher than the first. The Whites flew somewhat under the radar having been tipped to struggle – and their sense of adventure, typified by the way they took the game to Jurgen Klopp’s side on the opening weekend, caught plenty of opponents cold. With the potency of Aleskandar Mitrovic, Fulham have struggled – but the topsy-turvy win over Wolves did at least offer a significant bulwark between themselves and the bottom three.

Liverpool themselves have struggled to hit the heights of the period where it looked like they might sweep all before them having won the Champions’ League and the Premier League title in consecutive campaigns. Klopp is in the midst of a rebuild at a time when the club’s ownership are struggling to compete with the all-conquering might of Manchester City and even Newcastle United’s new money. The re-emergence of Arsenal as genuine championship contenders under Mikel Arteta even squeezed the Reds out of the Champions’ League picture but Klopp’s side have quietly re-established themselves to sit third, with an accomplished away performance earning a point at the Etihad last week thanks to a sweet strike from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Fulham’s record on the red half of Mersesyside is poor, with just two wins in 36 visits, even if the moments of magic provided by Alex Kacaniklic and Mario Lemina live long in the memory. Both of those were backs-to-the-wall triumphs, with the 2021 victory seemingly laying the groundwork for an escape from relegation under Scott Parker that never materialised. The Whites are much more expansive under Silva – sometimes to the detriment – but will likely follow the blueprint of last season’s corresponding fixture, where they threatened on the counter attack and were unfortunate to lose to a contentious penalty.

The success of Silva’s team selection on Monday night will leave him with something of a dilemma before handing the teamsheet in this afternoon. Joao Palhinha will come back into midfield having missed the Wolves game after picking up five bookings, but there is a serious question mark about who will partner him in the middle of the engine room. Tom Cairney’s enduring excellence made a compelling case for him to continue in the deep-lying midfield role were he excelled on Monday night, especially when the Whites will need to use what little possession they have intelligently. Harrison Reed is the more conservative option, even if the former Southampton midfielder has reinvented himself as more of a box-to-box runner these days.

The identity of Fulham’s wingers will give an insight into Silva’s thinking too. Playing Alex Iwobi out wide against Wolves was something of a masterstroke. The Nigerian international’s energy and dynamism offered a different option on the flank and he produced a tidy finish to prod Fulham in front early on after the sort of flowing move that has been all too rare this season. The fact that he found himself at the near post after injecting some dynamism into the attack showed the movement and unpredictability Iwobi can bring and those instincts can be unduly shackled if he is shoehorned into a more central role. Willian should continue on the left, whilst Harry Wilson – who was bright as a substitute even before winning the controversial penalty that eventually sealed a precious three points – made a strong case for his own inclusion against his old club.

Liverpool have some injury concerns ahead of this fixture. Thiago Alcantra, Stefan Bajcetic and Andy Robertson are all still on the treatment list, whilst Klopp has lost the services of goalkeeper Allison, who injured his hamstring in the closing stages of that intriguing draw at Manchester City, and winger Diogo Jota. They remain a formidable outfit – particularly at home – having won all six of their league games at Anfield this season, scoring seventeen goals in the process. Liverpool have lost just one in 48 top-flight ties since losing to Fulham in March 2021 so the Whites will need to be at their very best this afternoon. Coming away with anything at all would be a real bonus.

MY FULHAM XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, A. Robinson, Bassey, Ream; Palhinha, Iwobi; Wilson, Willian, Cairney; Jimenez. Subs: Rodak, Castagne, Ballo-Toure, Adarabioyo, Reed, Lukic, De Cordova-Reid, Harris, Vincius.