Fulham's Winless Fight at Anfield – Arbeloa Returns

Alvaro Arbeloa walks back into Anfield on Saturday, but this time down the away tunnel and with a problem to solve.

His Fulham side arrive bottom of the Premier League, pointless after three games and leaking goals. Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace have all beaten them, seven goals conceded across those fixtures leaving the Cottagers chasing both confidence and their first point of the campaign.

Arbeloa has pushed back against the early-season gloom. He insists the performances haven’t been as bleak as the table suggests.

“We create enough chances to win games… we know what we need to do to adjust,” he said this week, backing his players and pointing instead to fine margins at both ends of the pitch.

Anfield return for Arbeloa

If the results have been rough, the assignment now is brutal. Liverpool at Anfield. A stadium Arbeloa knows as well as anyone, and a team he believes are starting to click.

After watching their midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, he praised the strides made under their current regime, saying Liverpool are “improving” and “controlling the games better”. Fulham walk into that momentum while still trying to find their own.

There is at least some stability in his preparations. Arbeloa confirmed there are no new injury worries in his squad, allowing him to keep faith with the group that pushed Palace in last weekend’s derby defeat.

Only Luc De Fougerolles and Tom Cairney remain sidelined as they continue to work back from knee injuries. Cairney, a key dressing-room presence, is expected to be close to full training after the upcoming international break, a timely boost for the autumn schedule.

New faces bedding in

Fulham’s summer work is only just starting to show on the teamsheet. Manuel Angel, David Affengruber and Hugo Larsson were all named in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time against Crystal Palace, with Larsson handed a short run-out in the second half.

Those cameos could grow, but Arbeloa is unlikely to rip anything up at Anfield. He was encouraged by the attitude and structure in the Palace loss and is expected to keep changes to a minimum.

One decision does loom in midfield. Sander Berge is pushing to start and could replace Oscar Bobb if Arbeloa decides he needs a sturdier shield in front of the back four against Liverpool’s attacking carousel. If control becomes the priority, Berge’s physical presence and positioning may win out.

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.

That spine – Bernd Leno’s experience, the Andersen–Bassey partnership, and a double pivot likely to include Berge and Charles – will have to stand up to 90 minutes of pressure. Any lapse at Anfield tends to be punished.

Kick-off details and TV information

The match kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026.

For supporters in the UK, it falls inside the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, so there will be no live television broadcast. Those wanting to track Arbeloa’s return and Fulham’s search for that first point will have to rely on radio, updates and the roar from Anfield itself.

Three games, zero points, seven goals conceded. Anfield is a harsh place to start turning numbers around – but if Fulham can steady themselves here, what might it do for the rest of their season?