LONDON (SE) - England’s last two representatives in European competition face each other at Anfield on Sunday with Fulham risking a heavy fine by putting out a weakened team against Liverpool.
Liverpool’s win over Benfica and Fulham’s shock victory over Wolfsburg put both clubs into the semi finals of the Europa League and there is every chance they will meet in the Hamburg final.
But while the Premier League is a priority even now for Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool, it no longer matters for Fulham.
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson admitted that as his team were not going to be relegated, their main aim was to win in Europe after such a storming set of wins over Shakhtar Donesk, Juventus and Wolfsburg.
Hodgson said: “Wolfsburg was our 54th game of the season so for any team that is a big ask.
“For a team like ours who are not used to European football it has been very demanding for a small group of players.
“League survival was our priority but we have 41 points now and that is a good season in the league for us. I don’t believe we are in any danger of being relegated.
“We are not going to reach the top four places either so the Europa League has become the centre of our attention.”
Fulham have already been the subject of one official complaint from West Ham for picking what they believed to be a weakened team against relegation rivals Hull. Fulham lost 3-0.
Now they will come under scrutiny from Liverpool’s top four rivals Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa if they put out a team of fringe players at Anfield.
Leading scorer Bobby Zamora came back from Germany with an Achilles problem, Simon Davies has a rib injury and both Danny Murphy and Damien Duffy could be rested.
Not that the composition of Fulham’s team is any concern to Benitez who still harbours ambitions for his team to finish in the top four and with it earn an automatic place in next year’s Champions League.
Liverpool are four points behind Manchester City who occupy fourth spot but the Reds have played a game more and there are only five fixtures left.
Benitez said: “We will try to win every game. We will try to beat Fulham and get a little closer to the top four. Our objective is to win matches in Europe and in England.”
Fulham have not won at Liverpool in 28 attempts and have not won in the league away since the opening day of the season, making their victory in Wolfsburg all the more remarkable.
Fernando Torres, who scored two goals against Benfica in midweek, may rest a sore knee but Ryan Babel is available again after suspension.
Benitez said: “We have a big squad and we know what we must do in both competitions. Now we are concentrating on the league and we must beat Fulham to stand any chance of getting into the top four.”
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