please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Hello and welcome to the official match thread for Sunday's Barclays Premier League encounter between Fulham & Liverpool. The game is scheduled to take place at Craven Cottage on Sunday 12th May 2013 with a kick-off time of 3PM. English T.V won't be showing this game but streams showing the game are posted before and during the game. Preview Fulham can ensure that the 2013/14 season will be their 13 consecutive campaign in the Premier League by beating Liverpool on Sunday. Following Wigan’s 3-2 defeat to Swansea, the Cottagers now lie five points clear of the relegation zone with just two games to go and as a result of their superior goal difference over the Latics, a point may well also be enough for them to head into the final day with no worries. When Fulham beat QPR 3-2 on April 1 they had 39 points from 30 games and must have felt safety was virtually guaranteed but a run of five defeats and one draw from their last six games may well have given manager Martin Jol a few worries. Liverpool, on the other hand, have only tasted defeat once in their last ten league matches which came in a 3-1 defeat at Southampton. That run has included some emphatic wins with a 5-0 win at home to Swansea, a 4-0 victory at Wigan as well as a 6-0 thrashing of Newcastle at St. James Park. After the 0-0 draw in the Merseyside Derby last week, the Reds have little left to play for as they are seven points clear of eighth place West Brom although mathematically they still have to a chance to overtake Everton who have a five point gap on their neighbours. Past Three Meetings. Liverpool 4 Fulham 0 (Barclays Premier League- December 2012) Liverpool 0 Fulham 1 (Barclays Premier League- May 2012) Fulham 1 Liverpool 0 (Barclays Premier League- December 2011) - Match preview taken from http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...fulham-v-liverpool-match-preview-8611402.html - Injury News. Fulham. Mahamadou Diarra: Knee Injury. Simon Davies: Knee Injury. Ashkan Dejagah: Ankle Injury. Liverpool. Martin Kelly: ACL Knee Injury. Daniel Agger: Back Injury. Joe Allen: Shoulder Injury. Steven Gerrard: Shoulder Injury. Raheem Sterling: Thigh Injury. Suspension/Other News. Fulham. Steve Sidwell: Serves the third of a four-game suspension. Liverpool. Luis Suarez: Serves the third of a ten-game suspension. Fulham 1 - 3 Liverpool Goalscorers: Fulham... Dimitar Berbatov: 32nd minute. Liverpool... Daniel Sturridge: 36th minute. Liverpool... Daniel Sturridge: 62nd minute. Liverpool... Daniel Sturridge: 85th minute. Fulham: Schwarzer - Riether Hughes Hangeland Riise - Duff Enoh Ruiz Emanuelson - Berbatov - Petric SUBS: Etheridge Senderos Frimpong Karagounis Richardson Kačaniklić Rodallega - Fulham Substitution: Kieran Richardson comes off to be replaced by Urby Emanuelson. (15th minute) Fulham Substitution:Alex Kačaniklić comes off to be replaced by Mladen Petric. (70th minute) Fulham Substitution: Giorgos Karagounis comes off and is replaced by John Arne Riise. (82nd minute) - Liverpool: Reina - Johnson Carragher Coates Enrique - Coady Lucas Henderson - Borini Sturridge Downing SUBS: Brad Jones Wisdom Lloyd Jones Shelvey Coutinho Assaidi Suso - Liverpool Substitution: Andre Wisdom comes off to be replaced by Jose Enrique. (45th minute) Liverpool Substitution: Jonjo Shelvey comes off to be replaced by Fabio Borini. (77th minute) Liverpool Substitution: Philippe Coutinho comes off to be replaced by Conor Coady. (88th minute) - YNWA.
No Kelly, Agger, Gerrard, Sterling or Suarez... Don't see us running out winners here, a draw perhaps. Depends largely on which Sturridge turns up.
Coutinho, Sturridge and Henderson are capable of grabbing the goals. It is a big day for Shelvey to win back some points with the manager and fans.
Good point re. Shelvey.This is the perfect opportunity for him to show everyone that he's worth keeping for next season.He's got to push on otherwise I can see him being sold on.
It'll be interesting to see how we cope without Gerrard. It might mean others (Henderson, Shelvey) step up and grab the game and take more responsibility without him. Fulham's recent form has been shocking and unlike most other seasons haven't bene too convincing at home this year. Think we'll win, Sturridge, Coutinho & Henderson to step up be involved in the goals.
Liverpool team to face Fulham. Reina; Johnson, Wisdom, Coates, Carragher, Downing; Lucas, Henderson, Shelvey; Coutinho; Sturridge. SUBS: Brad Jones, Lloyd Jones, Enrique, Coady, Assaidi, Suso & Borini. - Liverpool operating with three centre-backs today (Wisdom, Coates & Carragher) with Johnson & Downing as wing-backs. Lloyd Jones, a 17 year old centre-back, secures a place on the bench after impressive performances for the Under 21's in recent weeks.
Or Johnson at LB Wisdom at RB and Coates/Caragher in middle. Lucas/Henderson/shelvey in a 3 man midfield Coutinho & Downing wide of Sturridge. Interesting bench though, can't see there being too much there to come on and change the game if needed. Must say, not even heard of this Lloyd Jones, where does he play?
The official Twitter page is saying we're playing three at the back with Johnson & Downing as wing-backs. With not too much left to play for, Rodgers seems to be trying different formations and seeing how they work. (Hopefully well!) Lloyd Jones is a centre-back. From the game i've seen of him in recent months, he's been one of the strongest performers in the Under 21's. Looked composed with the ball and strong defensively. His solid performances clearly haven't gone unnoticed by Rodgers!
apparently we have averaged 19.2 shots per game this season, the highest in the top 5 European leagues...if only more had gone in
Got to be a back four: Reina Wisdom - Carragher - Coates - Johnson Lucas - Shelvey Downing - Henderson - Coutinho Sturridge Two in bold to possibly swap
That was my initial thinking but guess have the otpion to swap things around. No harm in trying new things with only a couple of games to go.
Fulham team to face Liverpool. Schwarzer; Riether, Hughes, Hangeland, Richardson; Duff, Enoh, Karagounis, Kačaniklić; Ruiz; Berbatov. SUBS: Etheridge, Senderos, Riise, Frimpong, Emanuelson, Rodallega & Petric. - Looks like a 4-4-1-1 for Martin Jol & Fulham today. Ex-Liverpool winger Alex Kačaniklić starts on the left-hand side for Fulham whilst John Arne Riise, another ex-Liverpool player, is on the bench. Dimitar Berbatov starts up-front with Bryan Ruiz just in behind.
