Arbeloa Returns to Anfield as Fulham Seek First Points
Alvaro Arbeloa heads back to Anfield on Saturday, but there will be no time for nostalgia. Fulham arrive on Merseyside bottom of the Premier League, pointless after three games and leaking goals at an alarming rate.
Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace have all taken three points off the Cottagers, who have shipped seven goals in those fixtures. The table is already an uncomfortable read. Arbeloa, though, has refused to panic.
“We create enough chances to win games… we know what we need to do to adjust,” he has insisted, clinging to the performances rather than the results.
He has also seen enough from Liverpool’s midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid to know what awaits his side, praising the hosts for “improving” and “controlling the games better”.
Anfield. A Liverpool side building rhythm. A Fulham team still searching for a foothold. It’s a harsh stage for a reset, but it is the one they have.
Team news: stability and small decisions
Arbeloa’s preparation has at least been spared fresh disruption. Fulham report no new injury worries, with only Luc De Fougerolles and Tom Cairney still sidelined as they continue their recovery from knee problems. The outlook on Cairney is improving; he is expected to be close to full training once the international break has passed.
The manager’s options have quietly grown. Summer arrivals Manuel Angel, David Affengruber and Hugo Larsson all made the matchday squad for the first time in last weekend’s defeat to Crystal Palace. Larsson even got a brief taste of action in the second half, a small step but a sign Arbeloa is ready to trust his new recruits.
He has hinted at continuity rather than a shake-up. The derby loss stung, but he liked the application and intensity from his players. That points to a near-unchanged XI, with one key dilemma in midfield.
Sander Berge is pushing to start. If Arbeloa feels the need to tighten the centre of the pitch and add a more robust shield in front of the back four, Berge could replace Oscar Bobb. Away to Liverpool, with the crowd roaring and the game often played in waves, that extra layer of security might prove hard to ignore.
Predicted Fulham XI
Fulham are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1:
Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Charles; Iwobi, King, Palacios; Garcia.
It is a shape built to counter-attack, but it only works if the double pivot holds firm and the wide players offer enough threat to force Liverpool back. So far this season, Fulham have created chances without finishing the job. At Anfield, wastefulness tends to be punished without mercy.
Kick-off and broadcast details
The match kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026.
For fans in the UK, this one stays off the live television schedule due to the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout. Those wanting to track Arbeloa’s return and Fulham’s fight for their first points will have to follow it by other means.
Three games, no points, and Anfield up next. If Fulham are serious about dragging themselves off the bottom, this is the kind of afternoon where resolve, not reputation, will define their season.
