Liverpool and Fulham players will likely be surplus to the requirements of many FPL managers in Gameweek 33, as neither side âdoublesâ.
They both have tricky fixtures, too, away at Everton and Brentford.
Nevertheless, they both could play a part in our thoughts beyond that, especially with a sentimental farewell or two scheduled for Anfield in Gameweek 38.
Hereâs what we saw and heard on Merseyside on Saturday.
READ MORE: FPL notes: Arsenal injuries, Iraola on Kroupi + Hill superb again
READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 32: Saturdayâs goals, assists, bonus + DefCon
RIO + SALAH NET AS LIVERPOOLâS MOJO â IF ONLY BRIEFLY â RETURNS
Whereâs this performance been hiding? Liverpool were actually pretty good in the first hour of Saturdayâs game, producing some nice, free-flowing stuff and playing with an energy and intensity weâve not seen much of recently.
Perhaps the freshening up of the attack helped. Slot changed four of his front six, bringing in Rio Ngumoha (ÂŁ4.3m), Mohamed Salah (ÂŁ14.0m), Curtis Jones (ÂŁ5.4m) and Cody Gakpo (ÂŁ7.3m).
And it was Rio and Salah who produced the match-winning moments, with superb curling goals. The wingers are at opposite ends of their Liverpool careers, the former a raw talent with bags of potential and the latter a once-great fading force.
Salah is a shadow of his former self but, now and again (like Galatasaray at home), there are still tantalising, fleeting glimpses of his greatness. Saturdayâs goal was a strike heâs scored time and time again over the years. It was one of a game-high five shots he had.
Above: Players involved at Anfield on Saturday sorted by xGI
He may now be too unreliable (both in terms of minutes and returns) as a medium-term premium FPL pick, but that Gameweek 38 farewell punt remains tempting.
As for Rio, weâre not yet anywhere near the point of him being a trustworthy FPL selection. But Arne Slot, so cautious with the teenage winger for much of 2025/26, is now noticeably speaking about him in more positive terms.
âNot only the long future, also the near future. I think Iâve said a few weeks, maybe months ago, one or two months ago, that his playing time would increase because he got stronger and stronger, showed more and more when he came in, but also in training sessions, that it wasnât only a nice trick, but there was more and more end product to what he did. There was more and more power to what he did, which is needed if you play against the best defenders in the world. And I donât think anyone is surprised that at this moment of time he scored his first goal [at Anfield].
âHe has such a special quality which you donât see a lot in football anymore: dominating the one-v-one situation. And thatâs exactly what he did when he scored his goal, making the ball free by twisting and turning and then hitting it in like a Mo Salah finish, I would say. Itâs something Iâm not surprised to see because in training sessions during the last month, we saw more and more that he got more and more power to hit the ball as powerfully as he did today. And yeah, thatâs why he has now three starts in the last seven or eight games, I think.
âYeah, I think heâs ready [to start against PSG]. Now the question, of course, is: can he do this two days later again? Thatâs another question. But would he be able to play and perform at that level? Yeah. I play him because I see him as one of the players we are having. Itâs not like heâs less or in the beginning of the season, he was a young player getting some experience with the first team. But now heâs just someone I can pick for any game. So, also the one on Tuesday.
âBut I think in general, thatâs not to say about Tuesday, but in general, expecting from a 17-year-old that he can play three games in six days, you could question if thatâs realistic, especially for the ones that have been there in Paris and saw that intensity. Thatâs almost for every player too much, as you noticed today in my line-up, that I was aware of how intense two days ago was and how intense two days from today will be again.â â Arne Slot on Rio Ngumoha
Another name to consider when attempting to second-guess Slotâs selections in the run-in.
MORE MINUTES FOR ISAK AS EKITIKE UNUSED
After a cameo in Paris, Alexander Isak (ÂŁ10.3m) got more minutes in the tank on Saturday.
The Swedish striker came on for Rio midway through the second half, although by that point, Fulham were aggressively chasing the game and Liverpoolâs early zeal had given way to either fatigue or Slot-ball.
Hugo Ekitike (ÂŁ9.2m), meanwhile, remained unused.
Isakâs recovery only adds to the uncertainty around Ekitike. There was even another attacker, Gakpo, up top against the Cottagers.
Sure, Liverpool assets could re-emerge onto Fantasy radars in Gameweek 34, especially for those Free Hitting. But could we be sure of an Ekitike start? Thereâd be nothing to go off in terms of previous midweek minutes, as the Reds are fixture-less ahead of that Blank Gameweek. Isak might also be ready to start then, a fortnight on from now.
Dominik Szoboszlai (ÂŁ7.2m), who banked DefCon points for the fourth straight game on Saturday, is probably the only surefire starter of the front five, with maybe Florian Wirtz (ÂŁ8.3m) and Salah next in line in terms of xMins.
ALISSON INJURY LATEST
Might we see Alisson (ÂŁ5.4m) back by Gameweek 34? Heâs not ready for a return on Tuesday but he doesnât sound too far away. One to monitor, if you punted on Giorgi Mamardashvili (ÂŁ4.1m).
âTuesday, I donât expect him. Heâs not training with the team yet. But heâs working very hard on his recovery, so we hope to have him back in the near future. But he doesnât train with the team yet, so he will not be performing [on] Tuesday.â â Arne Slot on Alisson
Meanwhile, Liverpool may have lost another player to injury in the form of Jones, who came off at half-time.
âHe felt a little bit his groin. It wasnât the moment â he felt it already for a few minutes. So, letâs hope for the best but I would be surprised if a player who comes off that heâs available for Tuesday.â â Arne Slot on Curtis Jones
FULHAM TOO SLOW OUT OF THE BLOCKS
âThe game [was] decided in five minutes and, in my opinion, decided in that first half, where our approach was not aggressive enough on and off the ball. We gave Liverpool the chance to build up their attack too easy in some moments, not with the right aggressiveness of the ball.â â Marco Silva
This could be seen as a missed opportunity for Fulham. Liverpool were there for the taking after bruising recent cup defeats, but the Cottagers didnât match their hostsâ energy before the break.
There was a bit more positivity after half-time. Marco Silvaâs side, in fact, has had more shots (19) than any other team in Gameweek 32 so far.
Rodrigo Muniz (ÂŁ5.3m), again given the nod over Raul Jimenez (ÂŁ6.2m), and substitute Emile Smith Rowe (ÂŁ5.6m) had massive chances to reduce the arrears, failing with a set-piece header and a shot from 10 yards.
Mamardashvili and a DefCon-collecting Virgil van Dijk (ÂŁ6.3m) were beneficiaries of that profligacy, each leaving with nine points.
Harry Wilson (ÂŁ6.1m) had earlier curled narrowly over but was quieter than usual, and was even taken off after 80 minutes with a result potentially still salvageable.
Many of us will be watching Fulham keenly again in Gameweek 33 before deciding on their appeal (one-week only or otherwise) for the big Blank Gameweek 34.
They both have tricky fixtures, too, away at Everton and Brentford.
Nevertheless, they both could play a part in our thoughts beyond that, especially with a sentimental farewell or two scheduled for Anfield in Gameweek 38.
Hereâs what we saw and heard on Merseyside on Saturday.
READ MORE: FPL notes: Arsenal injuries, Iraola on Kroupi + Hill superb again
READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 32: Saturdayâs goals, assists, bonus + DefCon
RIO + SALAH NET AS LIVERPOOLâS MOJO â IF ONLY BRIEFLY â RETURNS
Whereâs this performance been hiding? Liverpool were actually pretty good in the first hour of Saturdayâs game, producing some nice, free-flowing stuff and playing with an energy and intensity weâve not seen much of recently.
Perhaps the freshening up of the attack helped. Slot changed four of his front six, bringing in Rio Ngumoha (ÂŁ4.3m), Mohamed Salah (ÂŁ14.0m), Curtis Jones (ÂŁ5.4m) and Cody Gakpo (ÂŁ7.3m).
And it was Rio and Salah who produced the match-winning moments, with superb curling goals. The wingers are at opposite ends of their Liverpool careers, the former a raw talent with bags of potential and the latter a once-great fading force.
Salah is a shadow of his former self but, now and again (like Galatasaray at home), there are still tantalising, fleeting glimpses of his greatness. Saturdayâs goal was a strike heâs scored time and time again over the years. It was one of a game-high five shots he had.
Above: Players involved at Anfield on Saturday sorted by xGI
He may now be too unreliable (both in terms of minutes and returns) as a medium-term premium FPL pick, but that Gameweek 38 farewell punt remains tempting.
As for Rio, weâre not yet anywhere near the point of him being a trustworthy FPL selection. But Arne Slot, so cautious with the teenage winger for much of 2025/26, is now noticeably speaking about him in more positive terms.
âNot only the long future, also the near future. I think Iâve said a few weeks, maybe months ago, one or two months ago, that his playing time would increase because he got stronger and stronger, showed more and more when he came in, but also in training sessions, that it wasnât only a nice trick, but there was more and more end product to what he did. There was more and more power to what he did, which is needed if you play against the best defenders in the world. And I donât think anyone is surprised that at this moment of time he scored his first goal [at Anfield].
âHe has such a special quality which you donât see a lot in football anymore: dominating the one-v-one situation. And thatâs exactly what he did when he scored his goal, making the ball free by twisting and turning and then hitting it in like a Mo Salah finish, I would say. Itâs something Iâm not surprised to see because in training sessions during the last month, we saw more and more that he got more and more power to hit the ball as powerfully as he did today. And yeah, thatâs why he has now three starts in the last seven or eight games, I think.
âYeah, I think heâs ready [to start against PSG]. Now the question, of course, is: can he do this two days later again? Thatâs another question. But would he be able to play and perform at that level? Yeah. I play him because I see him as one of the players we are having. Itâs not like heâs less or in the beginning of the season, he was a young player getting some experience with the first team. But now heâs just someone I can pick for any game. So, also the one on Tuesday.
âBut I think in general, thatâs not to say about Tuesday, but in general, expecting from a 17-year-old that he can play three games in six days, you could question if thatâs realistic, especially for the ones that have been there in Paris and saw that intensity. Thatâs almost for every player too much, as you noticed today in my line-up, that I was aware of how intense two days ago was and how intense two days from today will be again.â â Arne Slot on Rio Ngumoha
Another name to consider when attempting to second-guess Slotâs selections in the run-in.
MORE MINUTES FOR ISAK AS EKITIKE UNUSED
After a cameo in Paris, Alexander Isak (ÂŁ10.3m) got more minutes in the tank on Saturday.
The Swedish striker came on for Rio midway through the second half, although by that point, Fulham were aggressively chasing the game and Liverpoolâs early zeal had given way to either fatigue or Slot-ball.
Hugo Ekitike (ÂŁ9.2m), meanwhile, remained unused.
Isakâs recovery only adds to the uncertainty around Ekitike. There was even another attacker, Gakpo, up top against the Cottagers.
Sure, Liverpool assets could re-emerge onto Fantasy radars in Gameweek 34, especially for those Free Hitting. But could we be sure of an Ekitike start? Thereâd be nothing to go off in terms of previous midweek minutes, as the Reds are fixture-less ahead of that Blank Gameweek. Isak might also be ready to start then, a fortnight on from now.
Dominik Szoboszlai (ÂŁ7.2m), who banked DefCon points for the fourth straight game on Saturday, is probably the only surefire starter of the front five, with maybe Florian Wirtz (ÂŁ8.3m) and Salah next in line in terms of xMins.
ALISSON INJURY LATEST
Might we see Alisson (ÂŁ5.4m) back by Gameweek 34? Heâs not ready for a return on Tuesday but he doesnât sound too far away. One to monitor, if you punted on Giorgi Mamardashvili (ÂŁ4.1m).
âTuesday, I donât expect him. Heâs not training with the team yet. But heâs working very hard on his recovery, so we hope to have him back in the near future. But he doesnât train with the team yet, so he will not be performing [on] Tuesday.â â Arne Slot on Alisson
Meanwhile, Liverpool may have lost another player to injury in the form of Jones, who came off at half-time.
âHe felt a little bit his groin. It wasnât the moment â he felt it already for a few minutes. So, letâs hope for the best but I would be surprised if a player who comes off that heâs available for Tuesday.â â Arne Slot on Curtis Jones
FULHAM TOO SLOW OUT OF THE BLOCKS
âThe game [was] decided in five minutes and, in my opinion, decided in that first half, where our approach was not aggressive enough on and off the ball. We gave Liverpool the chance to build up their attack too easy in some moments, not with the right aggressiveness of the ball.â â Marco Silva
This could be seen as a missed opportunity for Fulham. Liverpool were there for the taking after bruising recent cup defeats, but the Cottagers didnât match their hostsâ energy before the break.
There was a bit more positivity after half-time. Marco Silvaâs side, in fact, has had more shots (19) than any other team in Gameweek 32 so far.
Rodrigo Muniz (ÂŁ5.3m), again given the nod over Raul Jimenez (ÂŁ6.2m), and substitute Emile Smith Rowe (ÂŁ5.6m) had massive chances to reduce the arrears, failing with a set-piece header and a shot from 10 yards.
Mamardashvili and a DefCon-collecting Virgil van Dijk (ÂŁ6.3m) were beneficiaries of that profligacy, each leaving with nine points.
Harry Wilson (ÂŁ6.1m) had earlier curled narrowly over but was quieter than usual, and was even taken off after 80 minutes with a result potentially still salvageable.
Many of us will be watching Fulham keenly again in Gameweek 33 before deciding on their appeal (one-week only or otherwise) for the big Blank Gameweek 34.
