Fulham vs Liverpool Preview: Reds Look to Fix Attack at Craven Cottage

Fresh off a disappointing draw with Leeds, Liverpool have a short turnaround time as they must travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham on Sunday, January 4th. The match was Arne Slot’s first scoreless draw, and he addressed what needs to change to put life back in the attack.

“It is also clear and obvious we find it quite hard to generate enough chances for all the ball possession we have, and that's not new for us this season,” he said. “What the players try to do is they just keep on trying, they bring the ball towards the wingers, they make inside runs, they play and move, and they do all the kind of things, but sometimes you need a bit of magic to unlock a game or a set-piece. If that then happens, then all of a sudden everything looks much nicer, but that is not our season until now.”

Team News

The Reds got some good news on the injury front as Joe Gomez has started training again with the club. Wataru Endo and Giovanni Leoni are still sidelined with longer-term injuries. Arne Slot also revealed that Florian Wirtz felt hamstring tightness vs Leeds, which is why he was subbed off. 

Focus Turns To Fulham

Like Liverpool, Fulham are coming off a draw. They are led in both goals and assists by Harry Wilson, who has 5 and 4, respectively, in EPL play. The Cottagers sit 11th on the table with 27 points, but Fulham have shown that they can test top teams, falling to Manchester City 5-4 back on December 2nd. Liverpool’s last visit to Craven Cottage on April 6th, 2025, ended in a 3-2 loss for the Reds.

“I think they will try to attack a lot and want to have the ball a lot,” Slot said. “At least that is how I know their manager, so it probably will be a much more open game, and so then we have to show in games like that we don't concede a lot as well. Maybe, maybe it will help us create more chances as well, but it's a difficult one because last time I went there, we lost against a good Fulham team. They had a draw against [Crystal] Palace [on Thursday]. I expect a different game, but let's see. I don't expect five defenders, but I didn't expect five defenders [against Leeds] as well, but they did.”

LFC Globe Verdict

Slot said he expects a different game from Fulham, which is good because the Reds struggled against the Leeds low block. Slot also admitted that the Reds get caught with not doing enough when they possess the ball, so fans can expect an entertaining end-to-end match.