Chris Sutton’s Premier League Prediction for Liverpool vs. Fulham

Chris Sutton is providing predictions for all 380 Premier League fixtures this season, engaging with various guests. For week 16, he faces darts professional Stephen Bunting, a known Liverpool supporter. Bunting, who ranks eighth in the Professional Darts Championship (PDC) order of merit, is set to compete against either Alan Soutar or Kai Gotthardt in the second round of the PDC World Championship, which begins on Sunday at London’s Alexandra Palace. Sutton’s forecast for the match is a 3-0 victory. Sutton, who will be broadcasting this fixture for BBC Radio 5 Live, expressed curiosity regarding Fulham’s strategy. He noted their strong defensive organization in their previous encounter against Arsenal, where they opted to defend deeply and seek counter-attacking opportunities. While this approach may not have yielded the desired effectiveness, apart from Raul Jimenez’s goal that gave them the lead, Sutton anticipates Fulham will employ a comparable strategy at Anfield. He expects Adama Traore to start again, alongside Alex Iwobi, who performed well against the Gunners, with Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic forming a more defensively oriented midfield. However, Sutton pointed out that Fulham failed to prevent Arsenal from scoring and believes they will similarly struggle to contain Liverpool. He observed that Arne Slot’s team appeared somewhat subdued during their midweek victory against Girona, and Slot himself was quite critical of their display. Sutton suggested that many clubs are currently experiencing a demanding period due to the strains of competing in both the Premier League and Champions League. He emphasized the significance of the opening goal in this game, anticipating Liverpool will score it and subsequently secure a comfortable win. Bunting’s prediction for the game is 2-1. He commented on Fulham, stating, “Fulham are a decent side. We will win, but they are going to score. 2-1.”