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• Alisson 'the best goalkeeper in the world', says Slot

  Arne Slot paid tribute to the returning Alisson Becker, describing the Liverpool goalkeeper as the "best in the world" ahead of their clash with Fulham.

  The Brazil international returned from injury in midweek, playing the full 90 minutes of the Reds' 1-0 win over Girona in the Champions League.

  And Slot hopes he can build on the momentum of keeping a clean sheet, as Premier League leaders Liverpool prepare to return to domestic action after last weekend's Merseyside derby with Everton was postponed due to adverse weather conditions.

  "We have an incredible goalkeeper. I said as a joke, maybe the players wanted to see how fit he was to give him so much work [against Girona]," the Reds boss said.

  "He showed [on Tuesday] he is probably one of the best, in my opinion, the best goalkeeper in the world.

  "Let's hope he can continue to keep bringing these performances and hope he can stay fit."

  Fulham are fresh from a credible 1-1 draw with Arsenal last weekend, with the Cottagers now having lost just one of their last seven league games.

  "I'm more pleased with the way our players fought [against Arsenal], the commitment, the organisation," head coach Marco Silva said.

  "It's always tough when we play against them, but they know it will be tough, too. We create a difficult scenario for them.

  "It was a tough week. In eight days, we played Tottenham, Brighton and Arsenal. [The players have] been great. The momentum is here for us, we have to be proud of the season so far."

  Silva also heaped praise on Antonee Robinson following his consistent performances at left-back.

  "He's been great for us. He's one of the best left-backs in this league," he added.

  "It's not just the way he is able to stop players, but the way he is able to help. He's a top player and a great professional. He's a proper athlete and is improving in some defensive positions where we want him to improve.

  "He's improving season by season, and week by week. We are really proud to have him with us."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

  Salah is level with Erling Haaland as the Premier League's joint-top scorer with 13 league goals. He is also second to Bukayo Saka in the assists table, having provided eight.

  The Egyptian has scored at least one goal in each of his last seven Premier League appearances. He has scored 99 home goals in 140 top-flight appearances, and another goal will mean he is the fourth-fastest player to reach 100.

  Fulham – Raul Jimenez

  Jimenez is level with Alex Iwobi as Fulham's top scorer in the league so far with five goals.

  The Mexican has scored 12 goals in his last 21 Premier League starts for Fulham. Of all players with 1,000+ minutes for the club, Jimenez has the best minutes-per-goal ratio (192 minutes per goal).

  MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

  Liverpool are four points clear at the top of the Premier League, having played a game less than second-placed Chelsea. They are unbeaten in 18 matches across all competitions (won 16, drawn two).

  Arne Slot's side have the second-best home record in the Premier League this season, having won six of their seven league games at Anfield (lost one).

  They have beaten Fulham in nine of their last 12 league meetings, including in each of their last four showdowns.

  Although Fulham drew 1-1 at home to Arsenal last time out, they have now won just one of their last four games in the Premier League.

  While they are unbeaten in three away from home (won one, drawn two), Silva's side have managed just two wins from seven league outings on the road this term.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Liverpool – 68.6%

  Draw – 17.5%

  Fulham – 13.9%

• Brewster sends Blades back to Championship summit as Watford deny Selles winning start

  Sheffield United returned to the Championship summit after Rhian Brewster secured a 1-0 win over Millwall at The Den.

  The former Liverpool striker scored his first goal in over two years, as the Blades leapfrogged Leeds United back to the top of the table.

  Japhet Tanganga and George Saville both struck the woodwork for Millwall in what was Neil Harris' final home game in charge, but Brewster broke the deadlock just before the break.

  Chris Wilder's side had to remain concentrated during the second half as the hosts pushed for the equaliser, but they held out for a crucial three points.

  Elsewhere, Ruben Selles was unfortunate not to begin his tenure with bottom side Hull City in victorious fashion against Watford.

  Chris Bedia broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 82nd minute, and it looked like it could be enough to give them their first win since early October.

  However, Rocco Vata equalised for the visitors two minutes from time to prevent the Tigers from moving off the foot of the table and out of the relegation zone.

  Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion moved back into the top six as goals from Alex Mowatt and Karlan Grant secured a 2-0 win over Frank Lampard's Coventry City.

  Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End both pulled clear of the relegation zone following 2-0 victories over Oxford United and Cardiff City respectively, and the Bluebirds remain in the bottom three due to their inferior goal difference.

• Simeone wary of Champions League challenges despite winning run

  Diego Simeone hopes Atletico Madrid can continue their excellent recent form to clinch a top-eight spot in the Champions League, but he remains wary of the challenges ahead.

  Atletico won a 10th game in succession as they eased past Slovan Bratislava 3-1 at home on Wednesday, a result that leaves them one point outside the top eight with games against Bayer Leverkusen and RB Salzburg still to come.

  It is Atletico's longest winning run in over a decade, since winning 13 in a row between August and October 2012. 

  "There are two games left, and they are very good teams," Simeone said. "We face Leverkusen, one of the best in the competition, and we will see how far we can go.

  "We will give our maximum and see what the sum of our points brings us."

  Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann, who scored a double, eased Atletico to victory against Slovan, though Simeone was left to rue a conceded penalty that briefly sent jitters through his side as the visitors made it 2-1.

  "The effort was there," he said of Wednesday's performance. "The first half was controlled, with important chances, and then in the second, it was also controlled beyond that penalty.

  "The players managed it well, and we won a game in which we cared a lot about the three points."

  Atletico have been magnificent on their 10-game winning run, scoring 30 goals in that streak, effectively putting their sluggish start to the campaign behind them.

  "It's football and football turns, changes, with moments of difficulty and others that lead you to be very good. We know what we have [in the team], where we are going, and we always try to improve."

  Wednesday's match was notable for the fact that at one stage both coaches had their sons on the pitch. Giuliano Simeone started for Atletico, while Slovan coach Vladimir Weiss brought on his son, also Vladimir, for the final six minutes.

  "I think that if the coach [Weiss] has chosen to put the player on, he did not think of putting his son on. Like me, neither of us have looked at them as a son, we look at them as footballers," Simeone added.

  Among teams who have scored 100+ goals in the Champions League, only Lionel Messi (20.4% for Barcelona) has scored a higher percentage of a club's goals in the competition than Griezmann has for Atletico (19% - 36/189).

  All of his Champions League goals for the Rojiblancos have come under Simeone. Only Messi under Pep Guardiola (43) and Mohamed Salah under Jurgen Klopp (41) have scored more goals under the same manager in the competition.

  "The Champions League is complicated, goals matter a lot," Griezmann said. "It is a shame about the penalty. In the second half, we let them have the ball a lot. These are things to improve as always, but we are on the right track."