Fulham defender Aaron Hughes hopes history repeats itself when Liverpool visit Craven Cottage for a crucial Premier League match on Saturday.The Cottagers edged Rafael Benitez's side in the same fixture last season for a victory that ultimately kept them in the Premier League.

Concentrating on Europe, Benitez fielded a weakened team in the penultimate game of the campaign and could opt for a similar ploy as Liverpool keep one eye on Tuesday's Champions League clash with Chelsea.

Fulham's self-belief has grown following last Saturday's 2-0 victory at Reading but Hughes knows the Reds are formidable opponents.

"Reading is over now, we've done it, we've got the three points and now we move on," he said.

"Last season Liverpool was the game that kept Fulham up. We know it's going to be very tough because Liverpool are a very good side.

"But the win at the weekend gives us good confidence and we will see where we can go tomorrow."

Fulham sit four points adrift of safety and after Liverpool face Manchester City and Birmingham before concluding their season at Portsmouth.

The home fixture against Birmingham, who are also precariously placed, would take on huge significance if Fulham prevail at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Time is running out to conjure an unlikely escape act - bookies rate them 1/10 for relegation - and Hughes knows there is no margin for error.

"We're just taking each game as it comes - we're not looking too far ahead. We can't afford to do that because there are so few games left," he said.

"The win against Reading keeps us fighting for our lives but it's still going to be a difficult task just because of the number of games we've got left.

"For us now each game is like a cup final. We've got to approach it that way and try and get as many points as we can from each game."

More Football News from TEAMtalk