Nigeria, April 11 -- For Fulham, timing could define everything.

As the Premier League calendar tightens and pressure points begin to separate ambition from survival, the London club heads into one of its sternest examinations, an away trip to Liverpool at Anfield, with a crucial piece of its defensive spine restored.

Calvin Bassey is back.

The Nigeria international's absence during the March international window had raised quiet alarms.

Bassey withdrew from the Nigeria national football team squad ahead of friendlies against Iran and Jordan in Antalya, sidelined by a back issue that cast doubt over his availability for Fulham's defining run-in.

For a player whose game is built on physical assertion, recovery timing mattered. And wit...