Arbeloa Returns to Anfield as Fulham Seek First Point
Alvaro Arbeloa walks back into Anfield on Saturday with a familiar view in front of him and a very different problem behind him. His Fulham side arrive rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, still without a point, and facing a Liverpool team he believes is starting to click.
Three games, three defeats. Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace have all beaten the Cottagers, who have shipped seven goals along the way. The table already makes uncomfortable reading, but Arbeloa has pushed back against any sense of panic.
“We create enough chances to win games… we know what we need to do to adjust,” he said this week, insisting the performances have not matched the results.
He has also been studying the opposition closely, describing Liverpool as “improving” and “controlling the games better” after watching their midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.
Anfield, then, is hardly the ideal place for a reset. But Arbeloa knows the ground, the atmosphere, the noise. He spent much of his playing career there. If Fulham are to spark their season into life, he will need every bit of that experience.
Fulham team news: stability over surgery
There is at least one piece of good news for the visitors: no fresh injuries. Arbeloa confirmed a clean bill of health from last weekend, with only Luc De Fougerolles and Tom Cairney still sidelined as they continue their recovery from knee problems. Cairney is edging closer and is expected to be nearing full training after the international break.
The squad is slowly thickening out. Summer arrivals Manuel Angel, David Affengruber and Hugo Larsson all made the matchday squad for the first time in the defeat to Crystal Palace. Larsson even got a brief taste of action in the second half, a small step in his integration but a sign Arbeloa is ready to trust his new faces.
Despite the losing run, the Fulham boss is not reaching for the reset button. He was encouraged by his team’s application in the derby loss and is expected to keep changes to a minimum. The one possible tweak? Sander Berge could come in for Oscar Bobb if Arbeloa decides he needs more defensive steel in midfield to cope with Liverpool’s control and pressing.
The message is clear: this is about refinement, not revolution.
Predicted Fulham XI and key details
Fulham are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 shape:
Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Charles; Iwobi, King, Palacios; Garcia.
It is a side built to be compact without the ball but still carry a threat on the break, with Iwobi and Palacios asked to knit transitions and Garcia leading the line at a venue where away strikers often live off scraps.
Kick-off at Anfield is scheduled for 15:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026. The game falls inside the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, so it will not be shown live on television in the UK.
For Fulham, the task is simple and brutal: find that first point of the season, and do it in one of the hardest places in the league. Anfield has ruined plenty of plans before. Can Arbeloa, on his return, bend it to his?
