Liverpool vs. Fulham lineups confirmed as Arne Slot makes major Rio Ngumoha, Mo Salah decisions

Liverpool and Fulham have announced their starting lineups for Saturday evening's Premier League showdown at Anfield.

Reds boss Arne Slot has made a total of five changes to the side that lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek, including an expected recall for Mohamed Salah in attack.

The 33-year-old was dropped in midweek as Slot opted for a 3-5-2 defence-heavy setup, but the Premier League champions are expected to revert to a more familiar 4-2-3-1 shape on their own turf.

As well as Salah, Slot has also restored Cody Gakpo and teenage starlet Rio Ngumoha to the final third, as both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak warm the bench from the first whistle.

Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have both dropped out of the XI too, as Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai link arms in midfield, while Joe Gomez and Milos Kerkez are also axed.

The former has made way for an extra attacker, while Kerkez loses out to Andrew Robertson, making his first start since it was announced that he would be leaving the club this summer.

Liverpool vs. Fulham: Five changes for Reds as Cottagers go unchanged

While Slot has made an abundance of alterations - potentially with the second leg against PSG in mind - Fulham boss Marco Silva has stuck with a winning formula.

The visiting manager has selected an unchanged starting XI from the side that overcame Burnley 3-1 before the international break, as Rodrigo Muniz gets the nod up front over Raul Jimenez again.

The latter came off the bench to score in the triumph over the Clarets, but Muniz nevertheless spearheads an unchanged offence, also featuring ex-Liverpool winger and player of the season contender Harry Wilson.

Rather than play it safe with Sasa Lukic or Tom Cairney, Silva has also selected Alex Iwobi and Sander Berge in the double pivot, as Harrison Reed misses out with a knee injury.

Victory for Liverpool will temporarily take them four points clear of Liverpool in fifth place in the Premier League table, before the Blues do battle with title-chasing Manchester City on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Fulham could leapfrog either one or both of Everton or Brentford in the race for Europe, depending on the outcome of their clash at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Liverpool lineup: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Gakpo

Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Kerkez, Isak, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Ekitike, Gravenberch, Nyoni

Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Iwobi; Wilson, King, Bobb; Muniz

Subs: Lecomte, Cuenca, Diop, Sessegnon, Lukic, Cairney, Smith Rowe, Chukwueze, Jimenez