Match Preview: Fulham (H)

Premier League
Wednesday 26 January 2011 - 8:00 pm
Anfield
Liverpool1
0Fulham
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Liverpool take on Fulham on Wednesday night, in a game rearranged from before Christmas when Liverpool was hit with an overnight snowstorm.

As a result of the postponement, and with some irony, the only Premier League team that Roy Hodgson did not get chance to manage the reds against is Fulham.

In the last ten years, the reds only spent one weekend out of the top 7 in the second half of the season.  This year, the club have never made it in that bracket, although if Liverpool can grab all three points they will move to 7th, 6 points behind Spurs in 5th and 9 points behind Chelsea in 4th.

Team News

Liverpool could welcome back Jovanovic in to the squad after the player missed the trip to Wolves due to illness.  Joe Cole is another option available to Dalglish as the King looks for his first win at Anfield in his second period of managership.  The reds only absentee is Jamie Carragher who is still out with injury.

The reds also see the return of Steven Gerrard – yet to play in a league game under Dalglish due to his 3 match suspension picked up at Old Trafford.

Fulham are without Zamora, Senderos, Etuhu and Briggs, with keeper Mark Schwarzer still involved in the Asian Cup.

Possible XI:

Liverpool: Reina; Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Kuyt, Lucas, Meireles, Maxi, Gerrard, Torres.

Fulham: Stockdale; Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Baird, Dempsey, Murphy, Etuhu, Duff, A Johnson, Dembele.

Form

Whilst a Liverpool win would send the reds in to 7th, Fulham have the opportunity to leapfrog the reds if they manage victory.  After a difficult start for Mark Hughes, Fulham have hit a richer vein of form in recent weeks, picking up 10 points out of the last 18 available, compared with Liverpool’s 7.

The reds however have good home form, picking up 13 points in the last 6 home games – a record scarred only by last week’s draw against Everton and the defeat at the end of December to Wolves.

Fulham have a handy away record in recent months – avoiding defeat in 3 of their 6 away games.

History

The reds have only managed one victory over Fulham in the last 4 attempts at home and away, and the last two league games at Anfield have been 0-0 draws.

Fulham have never won at Anfield.

Odds

Liverpool start as favourites at 4/7. The draw is 3/1 and Fulham can be backed at 6/1.

Torres is a measly 3/1 for first goalscorer. Raul Meireles and Andy Johnson can both be priced at 10/1.

Torres first goal and a 3-0 victory for the reds can be had for a whopping 26/1.

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Match Preview: Fulham (H)

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