Liverpool have confirmed their starting lineup for Saturday’s 3pm Premier League kick-off against Fulham at Anfield, with head coach Andoni Iraola forced to make two significant calls over the fitness of Bradley Barcola and Cody Gakpo heading into the match. Both attackers had been carrying knocks into the weekend, but only one of the pair has been passed fit to start, giving some early insight into how the Spaniard plans to approach a fixture in which his side start as strong favourites against a Fulham team still searching for their first point of the season.
Liverpool have named a strong side to face the struggling Cottagers, with Alisson continuing in goal behind a back four of Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez. In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai have been selected as the central pairing, while further forward, Victor Munoz and Florian Wirtz support Barcola in behind lone striker Alexander Isak.
That means Barcola has indeed been passed fit to start, easing any lingering concerns after his withdrawal in midweek, while Gakpo, despite having trained on Friday in an attempt to prove his own fitness, has had to settle for a place among the substitutes. Iraola’s bench also includes back-up goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Wataru Endo, Kerkez’s defensive colleague, Alexis Mac Allister, Federico Frimpong, Trey Nyoni, Stefan Koumas and Rio Ngumoha, giving the Liverpool boss a wide array of attacking and midfield options to call upon from the bench if needed during the course of the game.
Fulham, for their part, have made changes of their own under the guidance of former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa. Bernd Leno starts in goal behind a back four of Timothy Castagne, David Affengruber, Calvin Bassey and Antonee Robinson, with Sander Berge and Shea Charles selected in central midfield. Further forward, Yankuba Minteh, Josh King and Alex Iwobi form the attacking midfield line behind central striker Gonzalo Garcia. Fulham’s bench includes Benjamin Lecomte, Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen, Emile Larsson, Manuel Angel, Emile Smith Rowe, Cesar Palacios, Kevin and Rodrigo Muniz, giving Arbeloa attacking reinforcements to turn to if his side need to chase the game.
Barcola’s inclusion in the starting eleven comes after a slightly nervy 24 hours for Liverpool, with the Frenchman having been substituted during the club’s midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid due to what was initially described simply as cramp rather than a specific muscle injury. Speaking about the withdrawal at the time, Iraola explained that while Barcola had finished that match feeling tight, the coaching staff needed to properly evaluate his condition the following day before making a final decision, while stressing that there was no specific injury to speak of.
That note of caution proved well founded, with Barcola subsequently train through the international window normally and being passed fit to start against Fulham without any further complications. His inclusion means Liverpool retain one of their most dynamic wide attacking options for a fixture in which they will be expected to dominate possession and create plenty of opportunities against a struggling Fulham backline.
## Gakpo’s Fitness Test
Gakpo’s situation proved rather more complicated. The Dutch international missed training on Thursday due to an adductor problem, a fresh setback for a player who has already had to battle for game time following his own recent history of fitness issues and shifting role within Iraola’s attacking set-up. Facing a race against time to be involved this weekend, Gakpo underwent a fitness test on Friday in an attempt to prove his availability for the Fulham match.
While that test appears to have gone well enough for Gakpo to be included in the matchday squad, Iraola has ultimately opted to name him among the substitutes rather than risk starting him from the outset, presumably as a precaution given the recency of the issue. That decision leaves Liverpool with a recognisable attacking outlet to call upon from the bench, someone capable of being introduced later in the game either to add fresh legs or to offer a different kind of threat if the initial starting front line struggles to break down a well-organised Fulham defence.
Gakpo’s fitness troubles are not new for Liverpool this season. He had already picked up a knock against Ipswich earlier in the campaign that forced him to miss the win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, and question marks over his conditioning have persisted at various points throughout the year. His continued availability, even if only from the bench for now, will nonetheless be viewed as a positive by Liverpool given the alternative of losing him for an extended period had the adductor issue proven more serious.
## Iraola’s Broader Selection Picture
Beyond the specific calls over Barcola and Gakpo, Iraola’s team news also confirmed the makeup of a Liverpool midfield and defence still adapting to a number of new arrivals and returning faces this season. With Alexis Mac Allister named among the substitutes rather than in the starting midfield pairing, Iraola has opted for the legs and energy of Gravenberch and Szoboszlai through the centre of the pitch, a pairing that offers a blend of ball-carrying ability and box-to-box running against a Fulham midfield containing the physical presence of Berge and Charles.
At the back, Joe Gomez remains a doubt after a muscle issue, though he has returned to training in recent days and appears to be closing in on a return to full match sharpness, even if he was not required in the squad for this particular fixture. Elsewhere, Liverpool have a number of confirmed long-term absentees to contend with, including Conor Bradley, who remains out with a knee issue, along with Giovanni Leoni, Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa, all of whom are unavailable for selection this weekend. That list of missing players underlines just how much squad depth Liverpool have had to call upon already this season, even before considering the specific fitness questions surrounding Barcola and Gakpo heading into this particular fixture.
Saturday’s match arrives with Liverpool sitting comfortably ahead of their opponents in the table, starting the day 13 places and five points above a Fulham side that remains without a win so far this season. That gulf in early-season form makes Liverpool considerable favourites heading into the fixture, particularly with home advantage at Anfield factored in. The two sides met in the corresponding fixture last season, with Liverpool coming through relatively comfortably on that occasion, easing to a 2-0 win over the Cottagers, a result that will offer some encouragement to Iraola’s side as they look to repeat that outcome and continue building momentum domestically.
For Fulham and Arbeloa, the trip to Anfield represents an extremely difficult early test in what has already been a testing start to life in the Premier League this season. The former Liverpool defender, now plying his managerial trade against the club where he spent several years as a player, will be hoping his side can defy the odds and pick up a first point, or perhaps even a first win, of the campaign, though the scale of the challenge in front of his players, given Liverpool’s home form and squad depth, should not be underestimated
With both Barcola and Isak selected in the final third alongside Wirtz and Munoz, Liverpool possess considerable pace, movement and technical quality in the areas of the pitch where Fulham are likely to be tested most severely. Gakpo’s continued presence among the substitutes gives Iraola a further attacking option to introduce, whether that is to freshen up proceedings if the game is still tight in the second half, or simply to manage minutes given his recent fitness concerns and the busy period of fixtures still ahead for Liverpool across multiple competitions.
For Fulham, containing Liverpool’s front line for as long as possible will be the priority, with the visitors likely to rely on moments of transition from King, Minteh and Iwobi to trouble a Liverpool defence that, while strong on paper, has had its own fitness questions to manage in recent weeks given the situation surrounding Gomez. Whether Arbeloa’s side can find a way to frustrate Liverpool and take something from the game, or whether Iraola’s men move to victory in relatively routine fashion as they did in the corresponding fixture last season, Saturday’s match promises to offer plenty of interest both in terms of the overall result and the individual performances of the players whose fitness has been so closely scrutinised in the build-up
Beyond the immediate concerns of Saturday’s fixture, the decisions made over Barcola and Gakpo’s involvement will also be watched closely with an eye on Liverpool’s wider fixture schedule in the weeks ahead. With European commitments continuing alongside a congested Premier League calendar, managing the fitness of key attacking players like Gakpo, while still fielding a strong enough side to see off less heralded opposition such as Fulham, is likely to remain a recurring theme for Iraola as the season progresses. For now, though, the priority is simply securing three points against a struggling Fulham side, with Barcola’s return to full fitness and Gakpo’s continued involvement, even in a substitute role, both offering encouraging signs for Liverpool as they look to maintain their position near the top of the Premier League table.