Ten players who could miss Liverpool versus Fulham on Sunday

According to the betting sites, Liverpool are the clear Premier League title favourites heading into Matchweek 16. However, Arne Slot’s side are only four points ahead of Enzo Maresca’s surging Chelsea side.

This makes Liverpool’s match on Saturday at Anfield (2:00 AM on Sunday AEST) versus Fulham a pivotal one for this year’s title race.

While Liverpool got an extra week’s rest with the Merseyside Derby being cancelled last week, Liverpool are far from healthy heading into this fixture. Up to seven players could miss the Liverpool vs. Fulham match this weekend.

Major absences in midfield & defence

Both Liverpool and Fulham are guaranteed to be without some key midfielders and valuable defenders

Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister is set to miss the match via suspension after picking up five yellow cards in the Premier League this season.

Conor Bradley will also not feature this weekend. The young Liverpool right back is still recovering from an injury he suffered in the Champions League against Real Madrid at the end of November. Centre back Ibrahima Konate is also out with an injury he picked up in that match.

Fulham starting centre back Calvin Bassey will not be available for selection at Anfield for the same reason as Mac Allister.

Tom Cairney is also out via suspension. The Fulham captain is serving a three-match ban for an egregious studs-up tackle on Dejan Kulusevski against Tottenham in Matchweek 13.

Cairney’s regular midfield partner, Harrison Reed, appears to be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Jota, Chiesa, & others are major doubts

We know for sure that Mac Allister, Konate, Bradley, Bassey, Cairney, and Reed will miss this weekend’s game. A number of other players are also doubtful for the key EPL fixture.

For Liverpool, forward Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa could be available. Both players have been out for two months with injury. However, they were seen training with the first team this week ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League match against Girona on Wednesday.

Left back Kostas Tsimikas and young midfielder Tyler Morton are also doubtful for the match.

Marco Silva’s side could be without centre back Joachim Andersen, who has missed the past three matches with a calf strain.

Winger Reiss Nelson is also a doubt after picking up a hamstring injury against Brighton two weeks ago.

Liverpool vs. Fulham preview

While Liverpool have more players out with injury and suspension, our EPL predictions have them as the clear favourites here.

Arne Slot’s team have lost just one of their 14 Premier League games this season. They have the exact same record against Fulham across all competitions. The Cottagers have beaten Liverpool just once in their last 14 meetings.

At Anfield specifically, Liverpool have won each of their last three matches against Marco Silva’s side. Fulham have conceded multiple goals in four of their last six fixtures against the Reds.

Conclusion

A win for the Cottages would be fun for the title race, but we can’t see it happening. Liverpool should win this match and continue their march towards winning the 2024/25 Premier League title.