Liverpool Aims for First League Win Under Iraola Against Fulham
Anfield gets its next glimpse of the Andoni Iraola era on Saturday, with Liverpool still searching for a first Premier League victory under their new head coach – despite scoring freely and impressing in Europe.
They face a Fulham side with no points but plenty of warning signs attached. All three of Fulham’s league defeats have come by a single goal, and Iraola was quick to stress the danger in that record, describing them as having been “so good” in each outing. This is no soft landing.
Goals flowing, wins still missing
Liverpool’s attack has already found a rhythm. They’ve hit at least two goals in every league game so far and arrive at the weekend buoyed by a Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, a result that injected early-season belief into Iraola’s project.
The frustration lies at home, where those goals have not yet translated into three points in the league. Anfield has seen entertainment; it now demands a statement win.
Team news: gaps and gambles
Iraola’s options remain stretched. Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike, Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa are all still out, limiting rotation at both ends of the pitch.
Cody Gakpo is a doubt with an adductor problem, a concern given his versatility across the front line. Bradley Barcola and Milos Kerkez both needed treatment for cramp during the midweek victory over Atletico Madrid, but neither is believed to have suffered anything more serious, offering some relief after a physically intense European night.
If Gakpo and Barcola do not make it, Victor Munoz is ready to step in from the start. He would continue on the flank in a three behind Alexander Isak, alongside Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha, giving Liverpool a blend of craft, direct running and youthful energy in support of their centre-forward.
Isak, for his part, stands on the brink of an early-season milestone. One more league goal on Saturday would already see him surpass his entire tally from last season – a sharp illustration of how central he has become to Iraola’s attacking blueprint.
Predicted Liverpool XI
Shape is unlikely to change. Iraola has leaned on a 4-2-3-1 that allows his side to press high and flood the final third:
Liverpool possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Isak.
Virgil van Dijk anchors a back line still settling under new instructions, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai tasked with controlling the tempo and springing those ahead of them. Around that core, the moving parts may depend on late fitness calls.
Kick-off and coverage
The Premier League fixture kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026, at Anfield.
For fans in the UK, it falls inside the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, so there is no live television broadcast. The noise, the scrutiny and the pressure, though, will all be very real inside Anfield – and Iraola knows that turning those home draws into a first league win is the next non-negotiable step of his Liverpool rebuild.
