Wolves gear up for a stern test as they welcome free-scoring and high flying Liverpool at Molineux in the Premier League on Saturday.
Liverpool will be high on confidence after they thrashed their Merseyside rivals Everton 4-1 away at the Goodison Park midweek. It was the third game in succession in the league when Liverpool found the back of the net four times.
Before mauling Everton, the Reds beat Southampton and Arsenal by the same scoreline of 4-0 at Anfield. Liverpool are third in the league behind Chelsea and Manchester City. But what has caught everyone’s attention is their penchant for goals. With 43 league goals, Liverpool have the most goals by any of the teams featuring in Europe’s top five leagues.
By putting four goals past Everton, the Reds became the first top-flight English team to score at least twice in 18 straight matches in all competitions.
Despite being aware of the monumental task ahead of them, Wolves will be itching for a win. Wolves have managed 0-0 draws in their previous two outings, first against Norwich City last weekend and then against Burnley in their mid-week fixture.
Wolves have enjoyed a decent season far and find themselves sixth in the league just two points off Arsenal. But their home form would be a cause of concern for manager Bruno Lage. In the seven league games played at Molineux, Wolves have lost three and drawn one. In this span, Wolves have scored only five and conceded six.
Wolves vs Liverpool – Team News
Wolves
Wolves have real problems in their defence to due injuries and illnesses. Fernando Marçal is ill and is only expected to be back with the team sometime next week. Willy Boly is out with a muscle injury. Jonathan Otto is nursing a knee injury. Yerson Valdelamar suffered a hamstring pull and is out of contention.
The team also is dealing with the spread of COVID infection. Daniel Podence was infected with the virus earlier this week. Marcal is the second player who has tested positive for the virus.
Rúben Neves served his suspension against Burnley. He could be back in the heart of the midfield.
Liverpool
Centre-back Joe Gomez, forward Roberto Firmino, and midfielders Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliot are nursing long term injuries. They are unlikely starters for the match.
In the derby game against Everton, Liverpool did not have any major injury issue.
Joel Matip had a slightly poor outing against Everton. He could be replaced by Ibrahima Konaté at the heart of the defence.
Thiago Alcántara and Jordan Henderson have scored goals from the midfield. So that should motivate Jurgen Klopp to start with them once again.
There should not be any doubts about who Liverpool’s front three would be. Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota will comprise the team’s three-man attack.
Wolves vs Liverpool – Predicted Lineups
Wolves Predicted Lineup (3-4-3): José Sá, Maximilian Kilman, Conor Coady, Romain Saiss, Nélson Semedo, Rúben-Neves, João Moutinho, Rayan Nouri, Adama Traore, Hwang Hwang, Raúl Jimenez
Liverpool Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Mohammed Salah, Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane
Wolves vs Liverpool – Key Players
Raúl Jiménez – Wolves
Raúl Jimenez has scored three goals and assisted in two in the Premier League this season. His long shots, immaculate passing and through balls could prove handy for Wolves. Jimenez is averaging 2.1 shots per game. His key passes per game stand at 1.5. Jimenez could cause some jitters in the Liverpool defence, which at times has been slightly off the mark.
Mohammed Salah – Liverpool
Mohammed Salah heads into the contest following a brace against Everton. The two goals took Salah’s goal tally in the league to 12 and 19 across the competitions. The rate at which Salah is scoring goals at the moment, he is likely to break several records by the end of the season. Salah has featured in every minute of Liverpool’s 14 league games. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp would hope that continues his goal scoring form against Wolves too.
