PARKER AIMS TO FAN THE FLAMES

SCOTT PARKER believes the lack of fans at Anfield has been a major problem for Liverpool – and wants his Fulham team to capitalise on it tomorrow. The Cottagers go into the game still smarting from Thursday night’s 1-0 defeat by Tottenham and sitting three points behind Newcastle as they look to climb out of the relegation zone. But Parker (above) admitted that an Anfield without fans gives his team a much better chance of getting a result against a Liverpool side who have lost their past five games at their previously impregnable fortress.

Parker said: “I played at Anfield many, many times in my career and it is a daunting place to go when that place is roaring, and nine times out of ten it is.

“They have unbelievable fans there. For every club, including ourselves, it is a cliche that the fans are a 12th man at times.

“They give you that extra edge, that extra roar. That momentum right behind you lifts you as a player and it can drive a team.

“For sure you would rather be going to Anfield without the fans in there, because they are pivotal.”

But Parker warned: “It could be a good time to face Liverpool but you are facing a wounded animal, a team that is obviously in a bit of a tricky spell. We need to be very wary.

“When you are playing against a team that have the class and the quality that Liverpool possess you need to tread very carefully. “But we need to put a stamp on this game and try and get something out of it.”