Fulham manager welcomes back £60m star but reveals four absentees ahead of Liverpool

Fulham found their scoring touch for the evening – but they still have a big problemFulham found their scoring touch for the evening – but they still have a big problem
Fulham found their scoring touch for the evening – but they still have a big problem | Getty Images
The Fulham manager has spoken ahead of his side's trip to face Liverpool on Sunday.

Fulham manager Marco Silva has revealed the extent of his side's injuries ahead of their trip to face Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.

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The Cottagers have been in mixed form this season and that is certainly an apt way to describe their recent outings; they've won three, lost four and drawn one since the start of the October.

Their most recent victory has been drenched in controversy, as their 3-2 win over Wolves included controversial VAR decisions and the Premier League have since ruled their last-minute penalty as being a clear and obvious error.

Despite that, it was a confidence boosting win, if anything, which helped them earn three points for the first time since October 7 when they beat Sheffield United.

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Ahead of the game with Jurgen Klopp's side, Silva is able to welcome back midfielder Joao Palhinha after he missed the win over Wolves due to suspension. The Portuguese midfielder has the most tackles in the league by some distance with 52 - which is 12 more than second-place and 23 more than Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister, who leads the way for Liverpool.

In terms of players who will be missing, defender Issa Diop is doing more work with the team but still recovering and not fully fit. And the trio of Adama Traore (thigh) and Rodrigo Muniz (knee) and Tyrese Francois (knock) are all unavailable. Klopp is fortunate to have a mostly fully fit squad to choose from, a lot of players earned a run out during the 4-0 midweek win over LASK, but key figures such as Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahim Konate were rested.

In terms of missing players, long-term absentees include Thiago (hip) Stefan Bajcetic (calf) and Andy Robertson (shoulder) as well as Alisson Becker, who they are hoping will be back before December 17 when they face Manchester United.

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Also Diogo Jota is missing and could be out for some time, as revealed by Klopp: "Both are out. With Ali it is lesser. Day by day. Not on Sunday, and probably not the week after but then should be ok. With Diogo it will take a bit longer, we don't exactly know how long but it is a bit more severe."

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