How Liverpool Will Line Up Against Fulham
Bouncing back will be on the agenda at Anfield on Saturday, and Liverpool might just be facing the perfect opponents to help them do so.
Struggling Fulham come to Anfield off the back of Liverpool's 2-0 defeat at Arsenal last weekend, a loss which punctured any title optimism doing the rounds with Reds fans, and ensured that everyone knows just how tough it'll be for the Reds to get into the Champions League.
Winning games such as this one will be crucial to that cause, and Brendan Rodgers will be eager to see his team build on their previous home match when they hammered West Bromwich Albion 4-1 two weeks ago.
Martin Jol comes to Merseyside fearing for his job. So which players will Rodgers pick in a bid to make things harder for the Dutchman?
Here are the 11 men who could line up for the hosts:
Simon Mignolet
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The Emirates Stadium was always going to be a tough place for the Belgian to end his run of games without a clean sheet, but he might feel that this fixture offers him the perfect opportunity to do so.
Not since three Daniel Sturridge goals earned three 1-0 wins at the beginning of the season have Liverpool kept out their opponents. But with Fulham having scored just one goal on their last seven visits to Anfield, that could all change here.
Mignolet will hope so anyway, and Rodgers will hope that the Belgian isn't too busy on an afternoon when a win is a must.
Kolo Toure
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Toure was left disappointed after his return to former club Arsenal last weekend, but being the determined character he is, he'll be fixated on bouncing back here.
The right-hand side of Liverpool's three-man defence could well be seen coming forward in this match, especially with Fulham likely to field the not entirely mobile Dimitar Berbatov up front on his own at Anfield.
That will ensure that a spare man won't often be needed, so Toure's surging runs forward to join the attack could be a welcome addition here.
Martin Skrtel
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The loss at Arsenal did little to dampen the Skrtel revolution, with home forward Olivier Giroud kept pretty quiet in the contest.
The Slovakian scored the opening goal in this fixture last season, sending the Reds on the way to a 4-0 win. His influence will be important at both ends of the pitch as he continues to keep the club's vice-captain, Daniel Agger, on the sidelines.
This will be Skrtel's tenth appearance of the season for the Reds, a total that many thought he'd never reach following a summer of being linked with a move away.
Many are glad he stayed.
Mamadou Sakho
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With every passing week Sakho looks more and more at home in this Liverpool team, with his status as the club's most expensive summer signing seemingly not weighing him down.
The Frenchman is picking up more and more fans amongst the Reds support, and like Toure, he'll be important here as he looks to bring the ball out of defence and help join in with the Liverpool attacks.
Sakho did this well in the last home game against West Brom, and with Liverpool likely to have the ball for large periods of the game at Anfield on Saturday, his contribution is sure to be important again.
Jordan Henderson
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Liverpool's 90-minute man extended his 100 percent record in the league to nine games out of nine at Arsenal at the weekend, although he struggled to link up with both Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge at the Emirates.
Perhaps he could be used in a different role by the Reds against Fulham, though. A start at right wing-back would make the most of his vast amounts of energy and help him get into attacking positions when Liverpool come forward.
Henderson didn't impress when used in this role at Sunderland earlier in the season, but here he is likely to be more of a right-sided midfielder, a position he's played well in in the past.
Lucas Leiva
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Midfield was the key area in which Liverpool struggled throughout the Arsenal loss, with Lucas Leiva in particular being bypassed by the likes of Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey.
Back on home turf, the Brazilian will hope to rediscover his form in a game in which discipline is likely to be one of the most important elements.
If Lucas can keep the game ticking over and keep feeding the players in front of him, then Liverpool are likely to find success and find themselves breaking down their opponents.
Steven Gerrard
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Fitness issues surround Gerrard ahead of the meeting with the Cottagers (This Is Anfield), but if he's fit, he is more than likely to start.
A little too much was made of the skipper's disappointing performance in the loss at Arsenal─he was facing formidable talents after all─but he can take this sort of game by the scruff of the neck and dominate a midfield area in which his opponents are likely to be Steve Sidwell and Scott Parker.
Should he miss out, this could be seen as an opportunity for Joe Allen to earn a first league start of the season, but at the time of writing, the prospect of Gerrard leading his team out once again looks more probable.
He scored Liverpool's second goal in the 4-0 victory in this fixture last season.
Glen Johnson
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After being admitted to the hospital and missing the Arsenal defeat, Johnson is now back fighting fit for this contest, but could perhaps find his role in the team altered somewhat.
Coming back into the team at the expense of Jon Flanagan, Johnson could be switched to left wing-back, with opportunities to cut inside and use his right foot to aid the attack with both crosses and efforts on goal.
It would be an interesting choice for Rodgers to make, but certainly not a radical one. It would also ensure that the Reds have a more able attacker on that side in place of both Jose Enrique and Aly Cissokho.
Philippe Coutinho
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The Brazilian's return to the Liverpool fold couldn't prevent defeat at Arsenal, but he'll add a spark to this Anfield clash, which falls soon after Bonfire Night.
The No. 10 has been missed by a Reds outfit who've been crying out for his creativity, and his first start in two months is likely to excite the home crowd.
Playing directly behind the front two, where Rodgers will have envisaged using him for a while, should bring out the best in the talented 21-year-old.
Luis Suarez
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No goals for the Uruguayan at the Emirates, but that will only whet his appetite for this contest prior to his country's World Cup playoff against Jordan.
As the hat-trick in Liverpool's previous home game against West Brom showed, the forward relishes playing in this formation. If he can come anywhere near that relentless form here, then Fulham will be in trouble.
As Suarez's former Ajax manager, Martin Jol will know what to expect from him. Stopping him is a different matter entirely.
Daniel Sturridge
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The forward scored his first senior hat-trick in a game at Fulham at the back end of last season, and he hasn't looked back since.
Although unable to equal a club record of scoring in seven successive away games last week, he'll enter this clash full of confidence, having scored six in six at Anfield this season, including the sublime chip against West Brom last time.
Fulham have been warned.
Unlucky to Miss out
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Selecting this team would mean that the likes of Aly Cissokho, Victor Moses and Daniel Agger were overlooked, with the former particularly unlucky.
The Frenchman has done well in his brief Liverpool career so far, but with more needed coming forward in this game, he could have to bow out.
He'll join the aforementioned players as well as Raheem Sterling and Luis Alberto in being ready in reserve.
How the Reds Could Line Up
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So Rodgers might decide to switch things up a little then, with the deployment of Johnson on the left and Henderson on the right, ensuring that he gets as many of his most talented players on the pitch as possible.
Gerrard's fitness remains the key question mark, but if he doesn't make it, it would be good to see Joe Allen earn a start in place of the skipper, with this setup unaltered.
The switch to a more orthodox back four in the second half at Arsenal shows the flexibility in the Reds squad, but this lineup should have more than enough to see off a Fulham side who are notoriously bad travellers.
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