Andoni Iraola brings an unbeaten Liverpool side to Anfield on Saturday against a Fulham team that has not picked up a point in three matches. It is the sort of fixture that produces lazy predictions. It is also the sort of fixture where Liverpool's injury list starts to matter more than the gap in form.
Five out, one doubtful, and a defence held together with tape
Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoni (knee), Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Joe Gomez (muscle) and Federico Chiesa (back) are all unavailable. Cody Gakpo carries an adductor problem and is rated a doubt. Bradley Barcola and Milos Kerkez both came off with cramp in midweek, though neither is a genuine fitness concern.
That is a long list for early September, and it bites hardest at full-back and in attack. Losing Bradley and Gomez in the same window leaves Iraola short of the rotation he would normally want after a European trip, and Ekitike's absence pushes more of the goalscoring burden onto Florian Wirtz and whoever leads the line. Liverpool have managed so far. Managing is not the same as being comfortable.
Arbeloa's Fulham are running out of road early
Alvaro Arbeloa took the Fulham job in July on a three-year deal that runs to the summer of 2029, succeeding Marco Silva after the Portuguese left for Benfica. The 43-year-old had finished last season in charge of Real Madrid, which makes Craven Cottage a distinctly different kind of assignment. Three games in, Fulham have nothing on the board and Arbeloa's name is already appearing in the sort of speculative sack-race lists that clubs insist they never read.
He does at least have close to a full squad. Fulham reported no new injury problems, with only Luc De Fougerolles and Tom Cairney unavailable, both recovering from knee issues. Cairney's absence is the more awkward of the two in a midfield that has looked short of someone willing to slow the game down.
What Liverpool's week actually tells us
Liverpool have won their last two in all competitions: a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town in the league, then a 2-1 Champions League victory against Atletico Madrid. The European result was the more instructive of the pair. Iraola's side defended a lead against a side that specialises in dragging opponents into scrappy, low-scoring nights, and they did it without several first-choice players.
The concern is what happens if Fulham sit deep and Anfield gets restless. Iraola's teams are built to attack transitions, and a side with no points is unlikely to hand him any. Liverpool will need patience, and with Gakpo doubtful the creative load falls heavily on Wirtz to unpick a set defence rather than run into space behind one.
Prediction
Fulham's underlying performances have been better than their points total, and they will make this uncomfortable for a while. But a squad short of confidence rarely holds out at Anfield for ninety minutes. Liverpool 2-0 Fulham, with the second arriving after the hour.
Match facts: Liverpool v Fulham, Premier League, Anfield, Saturday 12 September 2026. Liverpool unbeaten under Andoni Iraola; Fulham without a point from three matches under Alvaro Arbeloa, appointed July 2026 on a deal to 2029. Liverpool out: Bradley, Leoni, Ekitike, Gomez, Chiesa. Doubt: Gakpo. Fulham out: De Fougerolles, Cairney.
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