BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has delivered his prediction for Liverpool’s must-win trip to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side travel to London on the back of a tremendous 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League in mid week, and Lawrenson believes they will continue their momentum with a 2-0 win over the struggling Cottagers.
The pundit shared what he thought the eccentric manager was likely telling his players ahead of the clash with Fulham, before reiterating his confidence in the Reds getting all three points.
“I was in Munich to see Liverpool beat Bayern on Wednesday and the Reds were excellent in the second half,” he wrote on the BBC Sport website. “That was as good as they have been all season, in the way they managed the game. This is the last game before the international break and, if Liverpool win, they go back to the top of the table.
“That is a great incentive if they are tired from their efforts in Germany, and the message from the manager will be along the lines of ‘I want one last hit from you’. I just cannot see Fulham getting anything against them, because they are not good enough defensively to keep them out.”
OPINION
Liverpool will be overwhelming favourites on Sunday and rightly so. They are simply a far better team than Fulham, and Lawrenson’s 2-0 prediction is too conservative if anything. The Reds should have far too much going forward for the Cottagers, particularly with the way Sadio Mane is playing as well. The Senegal star put two past Bayern and is in unbelievable form at the moment, while this could be the perfect occasion for the slightly underwhelming Mohamed Salah to get back on the horse. Simply put, this should be a walk in the park for Klopp’s team. Obviously it’s never that easy in the Premier League, but you’d be hugely surprised if Liverpool don’t come away from this game with all three points. As Lawrenson says, the opportunity to get back on top of the Premier League should be more than enough to motivate the players for this one, even if some think they’re in for an easy game.
