Liverpool travel to the capital on Sunday to face Fulham at Craven Cottage, looking to secure their first victory of 2026 after a frustrating 0-0 draw with Leeds United on New Years Day.
The new year began with a whimper rather than a bang for Arne Slot’s side, and they now face a Fulham team enjoying a four-game unbeaten run (W3, D1).
Although the Cottagers’ momentum was brought to a halt by Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, Marco Silva’s men may sense an opportunity to capitalise on a Liverpool side still searching for consistency – even despite their Africa Cup of Nations absentees.
Slot pours cold water on talk of title revival
Liverpool’s campaign, while not quite disastrous, has fallen well short of expectations for a side that was widely tipped to retain their Premier League crown.
An early season habit of last-minute winners gave way to a dramatic downturn in form, with nine defeats in twelve matches across October and November all but extinguishing their title ambitions.
However, since November, the Reds have steadied the ship by adopting a more cautious approach and are now unbeaten in seven league games.
Despite this upturn, Slot has been quick to temper talk of a renewed title push.
“Realistically those two teams [Arsenal and Manchester City] are quite far away from us, and we should not look at those two at this moment in time,” Slot admitted.
“We have had our struggles throughout. Now we have been seven games unbeaten but if you say this you feel like, ‘they are flying through the league’, but that is not what we are doing.
“Every single game we play, it’s hard work. We are mainly the team that is probably better than the other team but not enough.”
Liverpool currently sit fourth, three points clear of Chelsea, but Thursday’s draw with Leeds represented a missed opportunity to close the gap on Aston Villa, who suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat away to Arsenal.
With a daunting trip to the league leaders looming next Thursday, Slot will be keen to bank all three points at Craven Cottage to strengthen Liverpool’s grip on a top-four place.
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Fulham braced for stern Liverpool test
Slot may find a kindred spirit in Marco Silva, who is also attempting to steady his side after an underwhelming campaign.
Fulham have struggled to build on last season’s success, but their recent unbeaten run, combined with the general parity felt across the league table, has reignited hopes of a push for European qualification.
Silva expects a tough challenge when Liverpool arrive in west London.
“A bad run is not normal for them, and it made a massive impact in the points and position on the table,” Silva said.
“And, of course, with a different run earlier in the season, we are going to see them fighting and to be the contenders that we expect they can be for the title.
“After that period, they reacted. It was not the best result (against Leeds) or the result they wanted, and they want to react again, they want to be on the right track again.”
Silva has historically struggled against Liverpool, despite famously beating Jurgen Klopp’s early Liverpool side 2-0 with Hull City in 2016/17.
Since then, he has managed just one victory in twelve attempts – coming in the 3-2 win at Craven Cottage last season. Sunday may be one of his best chances yet to repeat the feat.
A tough fixture at the right time for Liverpool?
Recent meetings between these two sides have rarely disappointed, with 20 goals shared across their last four encounters.
This goal tally is a reminder that both possess enough attacking quality to punish the other at any time.
However, Fulham could be stretched by absences and a growing injury list.
Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze are all away with Nigeria at AFCON, while Rodrigo Muniz remains sidelined with injury.
Kenny Tete, Ryan Sessegnon and Josh King are also expected to miss out, leaving Marco Silva short on options in key areas.
Liverpool, by contrast, are closer to full strength. Although Mohamed Salah remains absent and Alexander Isak is injured, Joe Gomez has returned to training and could feature from the bench.
Florian Wirtz, who has shown encouraging signs in recent weeks, may be rested as a precaution following minor hamstring issues.
The timing of this game appears favourable for Slot’s side. Yet the quick turnaround in fixtures and Liverpool’s recent struggles to break down low blocks suggest another low-margin, hard-fought contest could be in store similar to the stalemate against Leeds.
Slot’s tactical adjustments have brought greater defensive solidity but at the cost of attacking fluency, a dilemma that Liverpool must address on the training ground or in the January transfer window.
With both clubs desperate to build momentum in seasons that have yet to fully convince their supporters, Sunday’s clash could prove pivotal. Halfway through the season and in a congested Premier League table, neither side can afford any more missteps.
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