Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool

Out-of-form Liverpool take a trip to Molineux Stadium to meet relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers in a match between the two subdued Premier League sides.

After launching his managerial career at Wolverhampton with back-to-back wins over Gillingham and Everton, new boss Julen Lopetegui has guided his team to a single win in seven competitive matches (D2, L4). Unable to recover from a heartbreaking FA Cup elimination at the hands of non-other than Liverpool, the ‘Wanderers’ succumbed to a dreadful 3-0 defeat at Manchester City in their last Premier League outing. Level on points with 18th-placed Bournemouth at the start of this round, Wolves can ill-afford another slip-up, but a nine-game winless home league run against Liverpool is unlikely to inspire much confidence (D3, L6). Scoring is another issue, with Lopetegui’s men registering a league-low 12 goals this term.

As for visiting Liverpool, a late 2-1 FA Cup defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion last time out undid their 1-0 win at Wolves in the previous round, ending their hopes of defending the title. That triumph at Molineux remains Liverpool’s only success across their last six games in all competitions (D2, L3). Indeed, Jurgen Klopp’s men head into this round winless in three straight Premier League fixtures (D2, L1), including a goalless draw at Chelsea on their most recent travel. Having drawn a blank on their last two league trips (D1, L1), the ‘Reds’ stare down the barrel of a three-game scoreless run for the first time since January 2021. That’s not an unlikely scenario, given that they’ve already lost five of their nine away games in the Premier League this term (W2, D2), as many as they had across the previous two campaigns combined.