Arbeloa Returns to Anfield as Fulham Seek First Points
Alvaro Arbeloa walks back into Anfield on Saturday with his Fulham side rooted to the bottom of the Premier League and still empty-handed. Sentiment will last only until kick-off. After that, it is survival business.
Fulham have opened the season with three straight defeats to Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, shipping seven goals along the way. The performances, Arbeloa insists, have not matched the results.
“We create enough chances to win games… we know what we need to do to adjust,” he said this week, standing by a group that has so far lacked the edge to turn promise into points.
What awaits them now is a Liverpool team he knows intimately, and one he believes is on an upward curve. Arbeloa watched their midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid and came away impressed, calling Liverpool “improving” and “controlling the games better”. Anfield will expect more of the same.
Fulham team news: continuity over panic
There is at least one piece of good news for Fulham: no new injuries. Arbeloa confirmed a clean bill of health from last weekend, with only Luc De Fougerolles and Tom Cairney still sidelined as they recover from knee problems. Cairney, a key dressing-room figure, is edging closer and could be back in full training after the international break.
The manager finally had a fuller bench to work with against Crystal Palace. Summer arrivals Manuel Angel, David Affengruber and Hugo Larsson all made the matchday squad for the first time, with Larsson handed a brief run-out in the second half. Those minutes may prove valuable as the season wears on.
Despite three defeats, Arbeloa is not reaching for the reset button. He was encouraged by the intensity and structure of Fulham’s display in the derby loss and is expected to stick largely with the same core. Stability, not upheaval.
One tweak is on the table. Sander Berge could replace Oscar Bobb if Arbeloa decides he needs a stronger defensive shield in midfield to cope with Liverpool’s movement between the lines. It would be a pragmatic call, a nod to the power of Anfield and the quality of the opposition.
Predicted Fulham XI
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 compete physically, press selectively and still carry a threat in transition. Whether that balance holds under Liverpool’s pressure is another matter entirely.
Kick-off and TV details
The game at Anfield kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, 12 September 2026.
Supporters in the UK will not be able to watch it live on television, with the fixture falling under the traditional Saturday 3pm blackout.
Fulham arrive chasing their first point of the campaign. Arbeloa returns to a stadium that once roared for him, now trying to silence it. How long can patience hold if this search for points drags on?
