Fulham manager Marco Silva may have to hand a full Premier League debut to Jorge Cuenca at centre-back when they travel to Anfield to face leaders Liverpool on Saturday.
The summer signing has made just three late sub appearances in the league since his move from Villarreal, as well as two starts in the EFL Cup.
Calvin Bassey's suspension for accumulating five yellow cards, and a calf strain to Joachim Andersen means Silva is likely going to be without his first-choice pairing in the centre of defence, with Cuenca set to partner Issa Diop ahead of Bernd Leno.
Diop has performed well in Andersen's absence, helping Fulham to draws with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as a win over Brighton, but now playing with an inexperienced Premier League player could be slightly more difficult.
Tom Cairney is also suspended for the visitors, with this being the last of his three-game ban for the sending off he received against Spurs, and fellow midfielder Harrison Reed will be absent too following knee surgery that will rule him out until the new year.
The Fulham midfield has been strong in recent weeks though, with combative pair Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic providing good protection to the defence against some very offensive outfits, since the former replaced Andreas Pereira in the side after the 4-1 loss to Wolves.
Lukic was one of the three regulars brought back into the side for the clash with Arsenal, returning the fold alongside Kenny Tete and Raul Jimenez, who were both rested and then linked up for their opener against the Gunners.
While having a bit of a quiet afternoon against his former club, Alex Iwobi remains the man in form for Silva's men, with three goals and an assist in his last four games, and the Nigerian will be keen to impress again on his return to Merseyside.
Another fellow former Everton player is set to play a key role at left-back too when he returns to his hometown, with Antonee Robinson the man who will be tasked with stopping Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah, but he can also offer a threat going forward, considering he has four assists to his name already this season.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Cuenca, Diop, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Iwobi, Smith Rowe, Adama; Jimenez
Click here to see how Liverpool could line up for this Premier League encounter.
Andrew Delaney
