Next low point for the Reds?
When an experienced coach like Jürgen Klopp speaks after a game of his team that the performance was a new low and also apologises to his own fans for the team’s performance, it becomes clear how bad things are at the moment for Liverpool Football Club. After the 3-0 defeat at Brighton at the weekend, the Reds will get the chance to make amends on Tuesday.
In the replay of the third round in the FA Cup, the Klopp eleven is once again challenged away. Because the first match ten days ago at Anfield Road ended in a 2-2 draw, the home advantage is now reversed. Nevertheless, the bookmakers still consider the bet on the 2020 English champions to be far more likely between Wolverhampton and Liverpool.
The Reds’ bottom-line favouritism is debatable in any case. While LFC have been a shadow of their former selves in recent times, Wolves have stabilised under Julen Lopetegui and lost only one of four league games after the World Cup break.
With this in mind, we are not at all averse to making a prediction in the direction of the home side ahead of the Wolverhampton vs Liverpool replay. The Wanderers are definitely capable of a surprise against an unsettled visitor.
Wolverhampton – Statistics & current form
For Wolverhampton Wanderers fans, players and officials, matchday 20 was a very special one at the weekend. For the first time in around three months, the Orange and Blacks were able to leave the Premier League relegation zone. Thanks to the hard-fought 1-0 victory over West Ham United, Wolves climbed to 16th place and thus continued the upward trend of recent weeks.
In the four league matches after the World Cup break, the team under new coach Julen Lopetegui suffered only one defeat. That came in a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United, perhaps England’s most formidable team at the moment. The only goal conceded in this match came in the final phase. Before that, the players from the West Midlands were able to stand up well and also prove their rediscovered stability in the defensive area.
Wolverhampton have steadily improved of late
In the four Premier League matches mentioned, only three goals were conceded in total. Not a single team was able to beat Portuguese keeper Jose Sá more than once in 90 minutes. Because the Reds have also struggled to get on the scoreboard (several times) away from home, we think there is a lot to be said for predicting that Wolverhampton and Liverpool will tend to score few goals in normal time. Risk-averse bettors can aim for Under 2.5. Even the under 3.5 is solidly quoted.
Apart from that, we would generally not be surprised if the Portuguese enclave sells itself better than the betting companies expect on Tuesday evening. It is quite possible, for example, that the Lopetegui team will once again take a 1-0 lead. In the first FA Cup match against LFC, Wolves scored the first goal of the game. Likewise in the two most recent Premier League games. A certain effectiveness in the switching game has returned. Individual quality is also becoming more visible as confidence continues to rise.
Chiquinho, Kalajdzic, Neto and Boubacar Traore will certainly be missing. Diego Costa and Joao Moutinho are still question marks. Newcomer Mario Lemina could make his debut in the starting line-up. Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez are also promising options for the first eleven.
Predicted Wolverhampton line-up:
Sarkic; Semedo, Collins, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Lemina, Neves, Nunes; Traore, Jimenez, Hwang
Last matches played by Wolverhampton:
Premier League
14/01/2023 – Wolverhampton 1 – 0 West Ham
Carabao Cup
12/01/2023 – Nottingham Forest (4)1 – 1(3) Wolverhampton
FA Cup
08/01/2023 – Liverpool FC 2 – 2 Wolverhampton
Premier League
05/01/2023 – Aston Villa 1 – 1 Wolverhampton
31/12/2022 – Wolverhampton 0 – 1 Manchester United
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
Liverpool Football Club are losing the plot these days and weeks. In the two Premier League games before and after the World Cup break, the Reds had the feeling that they could forget their poor start to the season and start a longer series with a total of four victories in a row, but the interim high has long since ended.
In particular, the last two matches in the English top flight have mercilessly exposed the weaknesses of Klopp’s eleven. At Brentford and at Brighton at the weekend, the top team lost with 1:3 and 0:3.
Liverpool’s disappointing season has reached a new low
The defence looked more fragile than it has for years. Offensively, nothing went together at all. Despite the Gakpo signing in the winter, there is a lack of ideas, creativity and effectiveness. In their current form, it will be difficult for the Scousers to aim for a top four finish this season. As ninth in the table, the gap to the fourth-placed team has not grown to ten points for nothing. From now on, the Anfield team will have to bake somewhat smaller rolls.
Under these circumstances, it will be exciting to see how seriously the Klopp team takes the FA Cup. Assuming that the Reds in this condition will probably not play for the title in the Champions League until the end, the oldest cup competition on the island offers the only remaining chance of silverware this season. Despite the motivation certainly given to want to reach the next round at the Molineux Stadium, at the moment between Wolverhampton and Liverpool we’d rather play the odds on the underdog.
Considering that LFC have another crucial league game against the equally stumbling Blues of Chelsea at the weekend, there will certainly be one or two changes in the starting eleven. The absence of defender Virgil van Dijk continues to weigh heavily. Luis Diaz, Arthur, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are also unavailable. Keita, Gomez, Tsimikas, Bajcetic or Carvalho are potential candidates for a start.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Konate, Tsimikas; Keita, Fabinho, Elliott; Salah, Gakpo, Carvalho
Last matches played by Liverpool:
Premier League
14/01/2023 – Brighton 3 – 0 FC Liverpool
FA Cup
08/01/2023 – Liverpool FC 2 – 2 Wolverhampton
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
Wolverhampton – Liverpool Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Ten days ago the teams already faced each other in the first FA Cup match. Wolverhampton took a 1-0 lead through Guedes after just under half an hour. Nunez and Salah turned the match just before and after half-time before Wolves scored through Hwang to make it 2-2 and thus fix this replay.
In the league, too, it will be the third clash within a short period of time at the beginning of February. Historically, the Reds like to play at the Molineux Stadium. The past six away games in the league have all been victorious for LFC. Only rarely have the Wolves managed to score any goals of their own. The starting position on Tuesday night, however, is completely different.
Wolverhampton – Liverpool Tip
Liverpool Football Club would have been very happy to do without an extra cup game in their already tight schedule. But because the Reds couldn’t get past a 2-2 draw at home to Wanderers ten days ago, that replay will kick off at 20:45 German time on Tuesday night.
If we look at the betting odds before the clash between Wolverhampton and Liverpool, the visitors from Merseyside are still the favourites. However, we do not share this assessment at all. The fact is that the Klopp team has reached a new low in the Premier League after the two most recent away defeats and is currently showing major deficits, especially in the defence.
In our eyes, it is therefore even the more plausible approach to place a tip in the direction of the hosts between Wolverhampton and Liverpool. Given the high odds, there are various possibilities here.
