After suffering Europa League heartbreak, Liverpool return to Premier League action with a trip to the capital to take on Fulham.
The ruthless edge that Liverpool have lacked in recent weeks was absent once again on Thursday night, with the Reds only winning 1-0 against Atalanta as they crashed out of the Europa League, losing 3-1 on aggregate. The quarter-final exit was a shock with many expecting the Reds to go all the way, but attention now turns back to the Premier League where a title remains to be won.
The 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace last weekend could potentially prove more than a bump in the road come the end of the season, but all Jurgen Klopp's side can do now is win all of their remaining games, and hope both Arsenal and Man City slip up soon. But, with City not in action this weekend, three points against Fulham would see the Reds leapfrog the defending champions.
This will be the fourth meeting of the season between Liverpool and Fulham, and the Cottagers haven't proven an easy opponent, with the Reds narrowly beating Marco Silva's side twice while drawing the other. The Reds have failed to win away to Fulham in their last three attempts, but if Liverpool want to keep their title dreams alive, they must put an end to that record later today.
So, can the Reds get back to winning ways in the Premier League? Let's take a look...
Fulham vs Liverpool simulated to get a Premier League score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the hosts could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Lukic; Iwobi, Pereira, Willian; Muniz.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Elliott, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Like the midweek game against Atalanta, it was a quick start from the Reds, with Klopp's side dominating the ball and camping around the Fulham box. The low block set-up from the hosts was frustrating Liverpool, but the first time Liverpool were given space to attack, they took a deserved lead.
A great challenge from Harvey Elliott won possession back for the Reds as Fulham tried to push out the back, and a quick pass to Mohamed Salah allowed Liverpool to push forward in numbers. Salah switched play with a fantastic through ball as he spotted the run of Luis Diaz on the right, and the Colombian placed the ball into the far corner emphatically to make it 1-0.
But, just three minutes after going ahead, the hosts managed to draw level when Rodrigo Muniz peeled away from Virgil van Dijk at the back post to head Willian's cross in off the crossbar. The second half saw both sides create big chances as they both looked to go ahead, but two red cards in the space of four minutes saw the game tipped in Liverpool's favour.
A rash challenge from Wataru Endo saw the midfielder given his marching orders in the 83rd minute, but moments later, Fulham were also reduced to 10 when Palhinha was sent off for a similar tackle. The red cards saw more space open up on the pitch, and in the 90th minute, Darwin Nunez put the Reds back ahead.
A one-two between Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold set the latter free down the right before drilling a cross into the box to the feet of Nunez. The striker's first-time shot was well saved by Bernd Leno, but the rebound fell back to the Uruguayan who made no mistake with the follow-up.
Nunez was subbed off for Cody Gakpo after his goal, and with his first touch of the game, the Dutchman wrapped up the three points. Alexander-Arnold's corner was met by a towering Van Dijk header, and the defender's effort ricocheted off the back of Calvin Bassey before Gakpo prodded home from a few yards out.
EA FC 24 predicted final score: Fulham 1-3 Liverpool
Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments!
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
