Monday, May 09, 2011

Match Preview: Fulham vs Liverpool

Fulham will be looking to halt Liverpool's surge on Monday, with the Reds aiming to clamber into fifth spot.

The Cottagers will welcome Kenny Dalglish's side to Craven Cottage in buoyant mood, having enjoyed a productive run of their own of late.

Back-to-back victories have helped to lift them into the top half of the table and they can cement that standing with another positive result.

Their home form bodes well, with maximum points taken from six of their last seven outings in front of their own supporters.

During that impressive run, only Blackburn have managed to breach a watertight back four.

The Cottagers will, however, be aware that they have struggled to find the target against the Reds in the recent past, drawing a blank in six of their last seven meetings with the men from Merseyside.

Liverpool will be hoping to secure another shut-out on Monday, helping them to move above Tottenham in the table.

A point would be good enough to take the Reds into fifth place, but they will be determined to pick up a third straight league success.

They have scored in 10 consecutive games on the road, suggesting they have no firepower issues, with that run now the joint-longest of its kind in the Premier League this season.

The Reds will also head to the capital in the knowledge that only Chelsea (35) have picked up more points than them (30) since Dalglish returned to the Anfield helm in January.

Clint Dempsey and Brede Hangeland come back into contention for Fulham.

Midfielder Dempsey (hamstring) - the Cottagers' all-time top scorer in the Premier League - and defender Hangeland (illness) missed last Saturday's 3-0 win at Sunderland.

Damien Duff will not play again this season after undergoing Achilles surgery, while Zoltan Gera and Rafik Halliche remain sidelined.

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll may have to settle for a place among the substitutes again at Craven Cottage.

The £35million club record signing came off the bench for a 20-minute appearance in last weekend's win over Newcastle after recovering from a knee injury but the form of Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez may mean the England international has to wait for a starting opportunity.

Forgotten winger Milan Jovanovic (knee) and defender Fabio Aurelio (hamstring) both have a chance of being included.

Martin Kelly (hamstring), Fabio Aurelio (thigh), Daniel Agger (knee) and Steven Gerrard (groin) all miss out, but defensive stalwart Jamie Carragher is in line to make his 666th appearance for the club - edging him above Emlyn Hughes and Ray Clemence and into second place on Liverpool's all-time appearance list.

Possible starting XIs
Fulham: Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido, Davies, Sidwell, Murphy, Kakuta, Dempsey, Zamora.

Liverpool: Reina, Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson, Lucas, Spearing, Meireles, Maxi, Kuyt, Suarez.

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