Do the Reds blow the FA Cup opener as well?
For Liverpool Football Club the new year has started like the old one ended. With problems. Whereas after four Premier League victories in a row there was a feeling that manager Jürgen Klopp’s team could stabilise in the long term, Monday night’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford was a relapse into earlier patterns.
For Liverpool Football Club, the new year has begun as the old one ended. With problems. Whereas after four Premier League wins in a row there was a feeling that manager Jürgen Klopp’s team could stabilise in the long term, Monday night’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford was a relapse into earlier patterns.
Indeed, we believe that the supposed favourites will again struggle against the defensively strong Wolves. Even an early exit in the third round of the most important cup competition on the island does not seem impossible.
We will also be looking forward to Cody Gakpo, who is now eligible to play, on Saturday evening from 21:00. The prominent winter newcomer from PSV Eindhoven could thus make his debut for LFC.
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
Jürgen Klopp has become known as a man of clear words. Even in Liverpool, the ex-Bundesliga coach still ‘blurts out’ what he thinks and feels. After the 3-1 defeat against Brentford, the former Dortmund player was very harsh on his team, but also on the referees. Kloppo even compared the referees to his microwave at home when it came to communicating.
However, the LFC coach could not keep any blame away from his team. The Reds were too weak and naive, even though they had won all of their last four Premier League games.
Liverpool’s defence remains vulnerable
The biggest problem remains Liverpool’s own defence. The last time Liverpool played to nil against an English first division team was on 19 October. In the last seven Premier League games, they have conceded at least one goal. Against this backdrop, we are not averse to putting odds on the visitors from the Midlands taking a 1-0 lead in the FA Cup between Liverpool and Wolverhampton. It would be far from the first time they have trailed so far this season.
We would not even rule out a nasty surprise in the form of an unexpected elimination from the home side’s point of view. The fact is that after a poor season so far, the Reds clearly have to focus on the Premier League. In addition, there will be the Champions League from February onwards.
Will Kloppo go for a “cup” team again?
Because Jürgen Klopp is a coach who takes the strain on his players very seriously and changes his starting eleven in eight to ten positions if necessary, it can definitely be assumed that a mixed team of regular and supplementary players will be fielded again this time. Probably also a first eleven that has rarely or never played together in this constellation. Of course, this does not increase the chances of a commanding victory.
Consequently, the betting odds on double chance X2 or on a maximum of two goals for the home team in normal time are also of increased interest between Liverpool and Wolverhampton.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Keita, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
Last matches played by Liverpool:
Premier League
03/01/2023 – Brentford 3 – 1 Liverpool FC
31/12/2022 – Liverpool FC 2 – 1 Leicester
27/12/2022 – Aston Villa 1 – 3 Liverpool FC
Carabao Cup
23/12/2022 – Manchester City 3 – 2 Liverpool FC
Friendly club matches
16/12/2022 – Liverpool FC 4 – 1 AC Milan
Wolverhampton – Statistics & current form
Wolverhampton from before the World Cup break can hardly be compared to Wolverhampton after the World Cup break. This is primarily due to Julen Lopetegui, who took over as coach in mid-November and thus had over a month to implement his ideas within the team. Even if the big breakthrough is not yet visible in terms of results, the positive approaches are obvious.
In the four matches under the Spanish coach, there was only one defeat. At home against Manchester United, however, the decisive goal was conceded just before the end to make it 0:1. There was also an away win at Everton, a place in the quarter-finals of the League Cup and a draw at Aston Villa during the week. The Wanderers were also 1-0 up against the Villans but eventually drew 1-1.
Wolverhampton improve from game to game
The Orange and Blacks continue to be an unpleasant opponent, especially defensively, and have improved their switching game under Lopetegui. At Anfield Road, Wolves will adopt a wait-and-see approach and try to keep the encounter open for as long as possible. That, in turn, would also suggest that not many goals will be scored in normal time. The longer the match lasts, however, the greater the chances for the underdogs.
It will also be interesting to see which personnel the coach sends into the race. After all, this is the first FA Cup match of his career. The motivation is great. Perhaps even more so than reason, as the team travels to Nottingham for the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
In addition, there is the tough relegation battle in the Premier League, although it can be assumed that Wolves will gradually make their way out of the relegation zone in the course of the second half of the season. Wolverhampton are a dangerous opponent and by no means without a chance at Anfield.
Predicted Wolverhampton line-up:
Sarkic; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Hodge, Neves, Nunes; Traore, Jimenez, Cunha
Last matches played by Wolverhampton:
Premier League
05/01/2023 – Aston Villa 1 – 1 Wolverhampton
31/12/2022 – Wolverhampton 0 – 1 Manchester United
26/12/2022 – Everton 1 – 2 Wolverhampton
Carabao Cup
21/12/2022 – Wolverhampton 2 – 0 Gillingham
Club Friendlies
14/12/2022 – Cadiz 3 – 4 Wolverhampton
Liverpool – Wolverhampton Direct comparison / H2H balance
The first leg in the Premier League between these teams was supposed to have been played in early September, but due to the Queen’s passing, the match had to be postponed. The clubs will therefore not meet in the English top flight until early February.
For LFC, the Wanderers are a real favourite opponent. The Reds have won all of their last eleven (!) Premier League games against Wolves. In the FA Cup, however, the balance reads the other way round, as Wolverhampton have advanced to the next round five times in seven cup matches. A good omen for the third-round match on Saturday evening?
Liverpool – Wolverhampton Tip
On paper, the affair between Liverpool and Wolverhampton is a very clear affair. The Reds are seen as the heavy favourites, despite the fact that Jürgen Klopp’s team has not been able to fully convince so far this season. Only on Monday, they suffered a painful 3-1 defeat against Brentford, which mercilessly exposed their defensive weaknesses at standards or in deep defence.
Wolves therefore know how to crack LFC. The self-confidence has returned after good performances under the new coach Lopetegui and also qualitatively the last but one in the Premier League does not have to hide. In our eyes, there is plenty of surprise potential at Anfield Road on Saturday night.
This subjective assessment is also the reason why we have targeted the bet on the double chance X2 after regular time before the match Liverpool vs Wolverhampton. The top odds of 3.60 are much too high in our eyes, so that an appealing value can be seen. Four units are enough as a bet to pocket a nice profit in case of success.
Alternatively, it is conceivable to bet on a 1-0 lead for the visitors or at least on the home side, who will probably not be in their best line-up, scoring a maximum of two goals after 90 minutes.
