Liverpool Seek First League Win Against Fulham at Anfield
Anfield has felt restless on Saturday afternoons. Entertained, yes. Convinced, not yet.
Liverpool have rattled in at least two goals in every Premier League outing under Andoni Iraola so far, but home draws have blunted the early optimism. On Saturday, against a Fulham side still pointless but far from lifeless, the demand is simple: turn the noise into a first league win of the new era.
The backdrop is encouraging. Liverpool arrive from a statement Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid, a performance that hinted at the high-tempo, front-foot football Iraola wants to make non-negotiable on Merseyside. The patterns are emerging. The results, domestically at least, still need to catch up.
Fulham, though, are not turning up as easy prey. Iraola’s respect for them has been clear. He described them as having been “so good” in each of their league games, and the numbers back up the warning: three defeats, all by a single goal. They have been edged, not outclassed. That kind of side can spoil an afternoon very quickly if complacency creeps in.
Injuries bite, but attacking threat remains
Liverpool will again have to juggle their resources. Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike, Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa are all still out, trimming Iraola’s options at both ends of the pitch. Cody Gakpo is a doubt with an adductor problem that has lingered unhelpfully into the weekend.
There were a couple of midweek scares too. Bradley Barcola and Milos Kerkez both needed treatment for cramp in the win over Atletico Madrid. The medical team are relaxed about the severity, and both are expected to be available, but it was a reminder of the physical demands being placed on this squad so early in the campaign.
If Gakpo or Barcola do not make it, Victor Munoz is waiting. The winger is poised to step into the front four, likely holding down a flank alongside Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha in support of Alexander Isak. It would be a significant show of trust, but also a continuation of Iraola’s willingness to lean into the energy and directness of his attacking players.
Isak, quietly, stands on the brink of an early-season milestone. One more league goal on Saturday would already take him beyond his tally for the entirety of last season. For a striker whose movement has knitted neatly into Iraola’s pressing and transition game, that would be more than a personal landmark; it would be a signal that Liverpool’s centre-forward issue might finally be settling.
How Liverpool are likely to line up
The shape looks familiar now. Iraola is expected to stick with his 4-2-3-1, a system that gives Liverpool numbers around the ball and licence for the front four to rotate.
Liverpool predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Isak.
Virgil van Dijk’s authority at the back, Alexis Mac Allister’s control in the double pivot and Dominik Szoboszlai’s running power between the lines form the spine of a side built to suffocate opponents at Anfield. If the press clicks, Fulham will have to play almost flawlessly to escape.
Kick-off details and broadcast
The game kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026, at Anfield.
Because the fixture falls inside the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, it will not be shown live on television in the UK. This one belongs to those inside the ground and those following by other means, piecing together the story in real time.
Liverpool have the goals. Fulham have the warning signs of a team better than their points total. Something has to give.
