Liverpool v Fulham: Key stats and talking points

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's match (15:00 BST), with Alvaro Arbeloa seeking his first points as Fulham boss against his former club Liverpool. Reds on a roll Liverpool are chasing a third win in the space of eight days after Andoni Iraola's first Premier League victory as Reds boss, a comfortable 2-0 success at Ipswich , was followed by Wednesday's victory over Atletico Madrid in his first Champions League match as a manager. Alexander Isak scored twice at Portman Road, meaning he has already equalled his league tally from an injury-disrupted 2025-26 campaign, and the Swede is now aiming to score in three consecutive top-flight games for the first time in 18 months. Summer signing Bradley Barcola, meanwhile, is set to make his first Premier League appearance at Anfield. His home debut in midweek did not quite go to plan, with the 24-year-old missing some clear-cut chances before being forced off with cramp after an hour. Barcola will be keen to open his account sooner rather than later, and a game against opponents who historically struggle on Merseyside could provide the ideal opportunity to begin repaying his sizeable transfer fee. Liverpool have lost only two of their 33 home league matches versus Fulham and won 2-0 when the sides last met in April. [BBC] Arbeloa targets lift-off on Anfield return Fulham are one of two pointless sides in this season's Premier League, along with newly promoted Coventry City , and a fourth straight defeat would leave the omens looking a little bleak for the west Londoners. The only previous top-flight campaigns in which they lost their opening four matches were 1951-52 and 2020-21, with both seasons ending in relegation. The Whites, who host Manchester United next weekend in their final game before the three-week international break, have shown plenty of attacking endeavour under new boss Arbeloa and lead the league for touches in the opposition box. But they have been alarmingly open out of possession, conceding a league-high 14 big chances and recording an expected goals against figure of 6.2, the second highest in the top flight. Arbeloa spent two and a half years at Liverpool and came off the bench in their Champions League final defeat by AC Milan in 2007. But history offers little encouragement on his return to Anfield. Liverpool have won all five previous Premier League matches against managers who represented the club as players in the competition. [BBC]