Carrick’s Reds Seek Redemption at Craven Cottage

Carrick’s Reds head south with questions swirling and pressure rising. Two straight defeats at Old Trafford – and the manner of them – have sharpened the mood around the club. The loss to Manchester City still stings, Erling Haaland’s winner arriving amid fury that it should have been ruled out, and the midweek Carabao Cup exit to Brighton & Hove Albion only deepened the frustration.

Now comes a trip to Craven Cottage, and with it a chance to steady the season’s early wobble.

A capital test with history attached

Michael Carrick’s side have stumbled out of the blocks this campaign and know they need a statement performance in London. The brief is simple: sign off before the break with something that looks and feels like progress.

They can at least draw on the memory of February’s breathless meeting with the Cottagers at Old Trafford. That day produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the season. Casemiro and Matheus Cunha had put the Reds into a commanding position, only for Raul Jimenez and Kevin to haul the visitors level and flip the mood inside the stadium. With the points slipping away, Benjamin Šeško crashed in a stoppage-time winner to salvage a 3-2 victory and ignite the place.

The last visit to Craven Cottage told a different story. It was the first away league game of the 2025/26 season and, for a while, it looked like the perfect launchpad. Leny Yoro thought he had opened the scoring, though the goal was officially recorded as a Rodrigo Muniz own goal. The advantage didn’t last. Emile Smith Rowe struck to earn Marco Silva’s side a draw, and the Reds left west London with regrets instead of momentum.

New man in the Fulham dugout

Plenty has changed by the river since then. Alvaro Arbeloa now leads the Cottagers, stepping in after his spell as head coach at Real Madrid. The former Liverpool full-back endured a rough start in the Premier League, losing each of his first three league matches in charge.

His fourth, though, offered a spark. A 0-0 draw at Anfield, on his emotional return to his old ground, halted the slide and hinted at a team beginning to tighten up and believe.

Cup form has helped that feeling grow. Fulham have pushed into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, seeing off fellow London clubs AFC Wimbledon and West Ham United. They are not flying yet, but they are no longer floundering either.

Team news: defensive reinforcements and a missing match-winner

Carrick’s preparations have at least brought some overdue good news at the back. Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez are in contention to reunite at the heart of the defence, a partnership the manager has badly missed. Luke Shaw, sidelined for the last three games, is also hoping to be fit enough to feature after travelling with the squad.

There were bright sparks in the Brighton defeat too. Shea Lacey marked his first senior start with a goal, a sharp reminder of the talent emerging from the club’s ranks. Mason Mount also got on the scoresheet in what was his first start of the season, a timely contribution as he looks to reassert himself in Carrick’s plans.

In midfield and defence, there are more cautious steps forward. Matthijs de Ligt, Carlos Baleba, Manuel Ugarte and Amad have all missed the opening stretch of the campaign, but Carrick has delivered a positive update on de Ligt and Baleba. Both have travelled to London, and there is a live possibility that de Ligt makes his debut, adding weight and authority to a back line that has looked fragile.

One notable absentee, though, is the man who decided that wild February contest. Benjamin Šeško has not travelled with the group. The Reds will have to find a different hero this time.

With form faltering, bodies returning and Craven Cottage waiting, the question is blunt: does this team respond, or does the season’s anxiety deepen on the banks of the Thames?