Arbeloa Returns to Anfield as Fulham Seek First Point

Alvaro Arbeloa walks back into Anfield on Saturday with no guard of honour, no sentiment in the away dressing room and absolutely no margin for error.

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 shipped across those fixtures, and the table already makes grim reading.

Arbeloa, though, has refused to panic. He has clung to the performances rather than the results.

“We create enough chances to win games… we know what we need to do to adjust,” he said this week, backing a group that has so far failed to turn decent spells into anything tangible. He has also been studying his old club closely, impressed by Liverpool’s midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, describing them as “improving” and “controlling the games better”.

That is the scale of the task. A side still looking for its first point heading into one of the most unforgiving arenas in English football.

Fulham team news: continuity and a hint of caution

If Fulham are going to steady themselves, they will have to do it with largely the same group that has stumbled out of the blocks.

Arbeloa confirmed there are no new injury issues. Only Luc De Fougerolles and captain Tom Cairney remain sidelined, both continuing their recovery from knee injuries. The good news: Cairney is expected to be close to full training once the international break is out of the way.

There have been small signs of evolution in the squad. Summer arrivals Manuel Angel, David Affengruber and Hugo Larsson all made the matchday squad for the first time in last weekend’s derby defeat to Crystal Palace. Larsson even got a brief run-out in the second half, a glimpse of what he might offer in a midfield that still feels like it is searching for the right balance.

The manager liked what he saw in terms of attitude, if not the outcome. That is why he is not expected to rip anything up at Anfield. Minimal changes, maximum faith.

One tweak does loom, though. Sander Berge could come in for Oscar Bobb if Arbeloa decides he needs an extra layer of protection in midfield against a Liverpool side that now dominates games for long stretches. It would be a pragmatic call, a nod to the reality of the venue and the opponent.

Predicted Fulham XI

System: 4-2-3-1 (expected)

Fulham possible starting XI: Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Charles; Iwobi, King, Palacios; Garcia.

It is a line-up that carries enough craft to hurt teams, but it has to start showing it on the scoreboard. Anfield is a brutal place to try and fix that, yet also the kind of stage where a season can suddenly tilt in a different direction.

Kick-off and broadcast details

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

For fans in the UK, the trip will be one to follow rather than watch live. The fixture falls under the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, so it will not be shown on television.

Arbeloa knows the ground, the walk, the noise. What he does not yet know is how his Fulham team will respond when that first roar hits them and the season, already twitchy, stares them straight in the face.