Fulham Faces Liverpool at Anfield: Arbeloa's Return
Fulham head to Anfield on Saturday still hunting their first Premier League point of the season, with Alvaro Arbeloa returning to the stadium that shaped much of his playing career.
Bottom of the table, three defeats on the board, seven goals conceded. It is a bleak picture on paper. Arbeloa insists the reality is not quite so grim.
“We create enough chances to win games… we know what we need to do to adjust,” he has argued, pointing to performances rather than results after losses to Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace. The margins, he believes, are fine rather than fatal.
What awaits now is a very different kind of test.
Arbeloa back at Anfield
For Arbeloa, this is no ordinary away day. Anfield is familiar ground, and he has been keeping a close eye on his old club’s evolution under their current regime.
He came away impressed after Liverpool’s midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, describing them as “improving” and “controlling the games better”. That control is exactly what his Fulham side have struggled to impose in the league so far.
The task is clear: stay in the game, quieten the crowd, and finally turn encouraging spells into something tangible on the table.
Team news: stability over shock
There is at least one area where Arbeloa can relax. The treatment room has not grown any busier.
He confirmed no fresh injury concerns this week. Only Luc De Fougerolles and Tom Cairney remain sidelined as they continue their recoveries from knee injuries. Cairney is edging closer and is expected to be near full training after the international break, a timely boost for a squad that could use his experience and calm in midfield.
The recent derby defeat to Crystal Palace still stings, but Arbeloa liked what he saw in terms of effort and structure. That satisfaction points towards stability rather than sweeping changes.
Summer arrivals Manuel Angel, David Affengruber and Hugo Larsson all made the matchday squad for the first time in that Palace game, with Larsson earning a brief run-out in the second half. They add depth and options, but this does not feel like the moment for experimentation.
One tweak is on the table. Sander Berge is pushing to start and could replace Oscar Bobb if Arbeloa decides he needs a sturdier shield in midfield against Liverpool’s attacking waves. If the Fulham manager expects to spend long periods without the ball, that extra defensive security may be hard to ignore.
Predicted Fulham XI
Arbeloa is expected to stick with a 4-2-3-1 shape at Anfield, with a familiar spine:
Fulham possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Charles; Iwobi, King, Palacios; Garcia.
That setup leans on pace out wide, discipline in the double pivot and the hope that Garcia can finally convert the chances that have been coming but not yet defining games.
Kick-off and broadcast details
The game kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026.
As it falls within the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, Liverpool vs Fulham will not be broadcast live on television in the UK.
So Fulham arrive at Anfield with no points, little margin for error, and a manager walking back into a stadium he knows intimately. The question now is simple: does this become the day their performances finally match the scoreline, or another harsh lesson at one of English football’s most unforgiving arenas?
