Liverpool Aim for First League Win Under Iraola Against Fulham

Liverpool return to Anfield on Saturday with a simple task that has started to feel awkward: turn home draws into a first Premier League victory of the Andoni Iraola era.

The goals are flowing. The points are not – at least not enough of them.

Iraola’s side have scored at least twice in every league game so far, a blistering attacking start that carried into midweek with a Champions League win over Atletico Madrid. The new manager has wasted no time imprinting his high-tempo, front-foot style on this Liverpool team.

The problem? They have yet to translate that threat into a three-point haul on home soil in the league.

Iraola wary of winless but dangerous Fulham

Fulham arrive without a point but not without warning signs. All three of their league defeats have come by a single goal, narrow margins that tell a different story to the table.

Iraola was quick to underline that.

Fulham, he said, “have been so good” in every league outing so far. The message is clear: ignore the standings, respect the performances.

Liverpool will still be expected to dominate at Anfield. But against a side that has stayed competitive in every game, any lapse in concentration could drag them back into the frustrating pattern of draws that has shadowed their start.

Team news: key forwards under watch

Liverpool’s squad is already being stretched early in the campaign.

Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike, Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa are all still sidelined, trimming Iraola’s options at both ends of the pitch.

Cody Gakpo is a doubt with an adductor issue, a concern given his versatility across the front line. Bradley Barcola and Milos Kerkez both needed treatment for cramp during the win over Atletico Madrid, but the club do not believe there is any more serious damage.

If neither Gakpo nor Barcola is passed fit, the door opens for Victor Munoz. The winger is primed to start on the flank, joining Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha in the trio behind Alexander Isak.

Isak carries a sharp sub-plot into the weekend. One more goal would already take him beyond his tally for the whole of last season – a marker of how quickly he has settled under Iraola’s attacking demands.

Predicted Liverpool XI

Iraola is expected to stick with his 4-2-3-1 shape, with only the wide roles truly up for debate.

Liverpool possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Munoz, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Isak.

That spine – Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Isak – gives Liverpool a powerful core. Around it, Iraola has pushed for relentless movement and aggression, asking his attacking midfielders to swarm second balls and overload the half-spaces.

If it clicks again, Fulham will spend long stretches under the lights of Anfield’s main stand, chasing shadows.

Kick-off and TV details

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

As it falls within the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout, Liverpool vs Fulham will not be shown live on television in the UK.

So the question hangs over Anfield: does this become the afternoon Liverpool’s performances finally catch up with their scorelines, or will Fulham drag Iraola’s first league win as Liverpool manager a little further out of reach?