Match: Liverpool vs Fulham
When: Saturday, 14 December 2024, 17:00 SAST
Where: Anfield
Liverpool Form
The Reds are having an incredible season with 19 wins in 22 fixtures in all competitions. Their 14 matches in the league have seen 11 wins and they’re four points clear of Chelsea with a game in hand. A 2-0 home win over Aston Villa 2-0 was followed by a 3-2 win at Southampton from 2-1 down.
Two impressive wins followed at Anfield, beating Real Madrid 2-0 and Man City 2-0 in dominant performances. Their last league match saw a surprise 3-3 draw at Newcastle as they leaked in the last minute. On Tuesday, they won 1-0 away at Girona having seen their Saturday clash vs Everton postponed a few days earlier.
Liverpool Team News
Arne Slot is without defensive options in Conor Bradley, Kostas Tsimikas and Ibrahima Konate. Alisson Becker is back from injury and is set to start. Alexis Mac Allister is suspended for this match.
Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota are carrying injuries and may make the bench at best. Cody Gakpo may earn a recall in the front three.
Liverpool Motivation
Slot’s team will see a draw as a very poor result. They will go all out to win this match at Anfield.
Liverpool will be wary of the pace that Fulham possess on the break. It could be a more pragmatic Reds approach than usual.
Fulham Form
Fulham have lost just once in their last seven matches. They leaked a late goal to drop two points in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park vs Everton before scoring two injury-time goals to earn a 2-1 home win over Brentford. A 2-0 win at Crystal Palace was followed by a shock 4-1 home defeat to struggling Wolves.
Marco Silva’s side have secured three fine results in a row. They drew 1-1 at Tottenham and outshot Spurs 14-8. A 3-1 home win over Brighton saw them scoring three times from just six efforts. On Sunday, they ground out a 1-1 home draw against Arsenal despite allowing 2.03 xG and having just two shots in the match.
Fulham Team News
Coach Marco Silva is without Harrison Reed in midfield due to injury whilst Tom Cairney is suspended. Joaquim Andersen is nearing a return from a calf injury.
Reiss Nelson is doubtful after a hamstring injury and Calvin Bassey is suspended at centre back. Spanish defender Jorge Cuenca is on standby to start in central defence if Andersen does not recover.
Fulham Motivation
Silva’s team likes to play an open and expansive game. However, they have absorbed lots of pressure in recent matches.
A draw at Anfield would feel like a win. They may set up in quite a compact shape and settle for a point quite early on.
Key Stats
Liverpool have won 19 of their 22 matches this season (50 goals scored)
Liverpool have scored 2+ goals in 9 of their last 10 matches
Liverpool’s Mo Salah has scored in his last 7 league matches (9 goals scored)
Fulham have lost just 1 of their last 7 league matches
Fulham have lost 6 of their last 7 away matches vs Liverpool
Liverpool vs Fulham Verdict
The Reds are flying right now, but fatigue may be setting in. Fulham can cause problems for the top sides but are expected to be beaten ultimately in this match.
Best Bet: Liverpool win and Under 3.5 goals at 2.45
Value Bet: Liverpool win by exactly 1 goal at 3.80
Goalscorer Tip: Mo Salah to score first/last in the match at 2.40