Fulham v Liverpool predictions: Cottagers ready to challenge Reds

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Fulham v Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 12.30pm

Team news

Fulham
Assist king Harry Wilson and Nathanial Chalobah are out, while Joe Bryan is a major doubt. New signing Shane Duffy looks unlikely to feature after completing a move yesterday.

Liverpool
Alisson is fit to return in goal. Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Diogo Jota are out.

Best bet

Liverpool to win & both teams to score
1pt 7-4 bet365, Betfred

Match preview

Liverpool ought to be thinking they can take Fulham to the cleaners a week after dismantling Manchester City, yet Marco Silva's men look as if they can give the Reds a headache or two in what promises to be a Craven Cottage thriller.

Jurgen Klopp's Anfield aces looked a million dollars winning the Community Shield last Saturday but that doesn't give them a free hit against a very different looking Fulham side from the last one that graced the Premier League.

Back then Scott Parker was on damage limitation from the off and it was a plan which went horribly wrong.

This time, fresh from a season in which the Cottagers have just banged in 106 league goals, Fulham are going to give it a go – and if it does backfire, at least it should be fun to watch.

Liverpool's six Premier League openers under Klopp have been ridiculously entertaining, yielding five wins and a draw and 32 goals at 5.4 per game. Remember the 3-3 at Watford (managed by Silva) or the 4-3 against Leeds? Liverpool were short priced to win both games with a landslide but they were matches which turned into free-flowing free-for-alls.

Liverpool should still be too good but their 90-minute price makes no appeal. Liverpool and both teams to score, however, at 7-4, suggests no great faith in Silva's hosts yet they are capable of scoring.

They will miss Harry Wilson, that's for sure. The Championship's assist king would have loved to show his former club what they let go, so Andreas Pereira, under-used in recent years by Lazio, Flamengo and Manchester United, should get a chance.

Joao Palhinha provides the platform in midfield from which Fulham have a licence to play and then it's getting the ball to, and staying connected with, Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serb has just had the best 12 months of his life and represents a massive physical threat to Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk. He's 9-1 to open the scoring and there will be worse bets placed this weekend.

Silva insists his squad are not ready for the Premier League, yet that's just the usual pre-season talk managers seem contractually obliged to spout. Good pre-season results have included a win over Nice and a draw with Villarreal, Mitrovic has scored in each of the three games they played, there have been some attractive signings and the Cottagers can have no excuses.

If Liverpool tear them to shreds it's because that's what Liverpool can do to teams, not because Fulham aren't ready.

Indeed, Klopp reckoned Liverpool weren't ready last weekend for the challenge thrown down by City in the Community Shield, yet they responded with an excellent 3-1 win, a debut goal from Darwin Nunez, classy performances all over the pitch, and they will be over-flowing with confidence as they attempt to make it 13 wins in their last 14 away games.

Key stat

Liverpool have scored 22 goals in their six opening-weekend league fixtures under Klopp.

Note book

Fulham

Penalty taker Aleksandar Mitrovic
Assist ace Bobby Decordova-Reid
Set-piece aerial threat Aleksandar Mitrovic
Card magnet Aleksandar Mitrovic

Liverpool

Penalty taker Mohamed Salah
Assist ace Trent Alexander-Arnold
Set-piece aerial threat Virgil van Dijk
Card magnet Andy Robertson

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