On Sunday afternoon, Anfield will host Marco Silva’s Cottagers in the Premier League.
After battling hard to get a thrilling point against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last time out, Liverpool will play Fulham in the Premier League this afternoon.
With City and Arsenal also in the running for the title, Jurgen Klopp’s team is riding high near the top of the league. The former Borussia Dortmund manager is undoubtedly eager to keep up this pace.
Following their comfortable 4-0 Europa League victory over Austrian team LASK on Thursday night, the Reds are anticipated to field a nearly full squad, despite a few absences.
Liverpool team news vs Fulham
Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, two Spanish midfielders, are both out for the foreseeable future, and Andy Robertson is currently out while healing from shoulder surgery.
With Alisson anticipated to be out for several weeks due to an injury sustained in Manchester, Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to start in goal for the first time this season.
Although there are concerns that Diogo Jota may be sidelined for an extended period of time, Klopp has plenty of options to keep the Merseyside team competitive given the impressive performances of Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo in midweek.
Why Curtis Jones should start vs Fulham
This week, Ryan Gravenberch made his Europa League comeback to the starting lineup. He put up a strong showing, though it wasn’t his best since joining Liverpool for £34 million in the summer.
The 21-year-old Dutchman has been outstanding thus far, contributing two assists and two goals. Journalist Declan Carr has praised his “Rolls-Royce” style of play.
According to FBref, he is in the top 13% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for goals scored in the previous season, the top 3% for actions that resulted in shots, the top 7% for passes that progressed, and the top 4% for successful takeaways per ninety.
Although Gravenberch is undoubtedly a fantastic player and a future star, Klopp could be smart to bench him against Fulham and start Curtis Jones, who made his first Premier League appearance since being sent off against Tottenham Hotspur in September, instead.
Since emerging from the Reds’ junior ranks a few years ago, Jones, 22, has kind of fluctuated in terms of fitness and form. However, he truly came into his own at the conclusion of the 2022–2023 season and started the last 11 league games as Liverpool had a late-stage comeback.
The 6′ 1″ star had a great start to the season this term, earning praise from James Pearce of The Athletic for his “flying start.” However, he now needs a second consecutive start in the division.
Though not very inventive, the £15k-per-week star is among the best 1% of midfielders in terms of pass completion. He is also in the top 10% for goals, the top 9% for progressive carries, the top 13% for successful take-ons, and the top 11% for tackles per 90 attempts.
His command of the engine room is impressive, and he may have found the right technique to contain Fulham’s disciplined and tenacious team by controlling the flow and smothering them, leaving the front players and Dominik Szoboszlai, the man in the middle, free to exploit their weaknesses.
Jones has to begin regaining his match fitness, and the fact that he did not start the encounter against LASK indicates that Klopp has been organizing ahead of time.
Additionally, the Reds will travel to play struggling Sheffield United in their return to league action on Wednesday. Since rotation will be crucial in the upcoming term, this seems like the right move.