Liverpool will look to continue their good form as they travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. In gameweek four, Jurgen Klopp’s team defeated Aston Villa 3-0. Their opponents lost 3-2 to Crystal Palace at home.
Preview (Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool)
Two Sundays ago, viewers of Crystal Palace vs. Wolves may have been excused for turning off the television at halftime because Gary O’Neil’s team contained the Eagles without posing a significant threat to them. However, both sets of attackers sparkled during the frantic second half. Over the space of 45 minutes, no less than five goals were scored. Unfortunately for the Wolves, two goals from Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze made Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha’s heads meaningless. The hosts gave Manchester United a very tough time in game one. In the battle for the bottom spot, points come before performances.
Wolves’ solitary defeat at Molineux thus far this season came in a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion, but prior to that, they had gone five games without a loss at home while giving up just one goal. But when Brighton came to town, such defensive tenacity suddenly became inconsequential. A similar tale might very well occur against a goal-happy Liverpool. The international break could not have come at a worse moment. Two weekends ago, Liverpool faced a goal-happy Aston Villa team without either of their first-choice center-backs. However, Jurgen Klopp’s crop returned to form in front of the Anfield fans with a decisive victory. They scored three goals against the Lions without answering.
During his brief tenure as Arsenal manager, Unai Emery endured humiliating losses at Anfield, and this game was no exception as the Reds cruised to victory thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Matty Cash, and Mohamed Salah.
Team News
Joe Hodge, a 21-year-old who had a thigh injury at the end of August, is the sole player the Wolves medical staff is now attending to. It is yet unclear when the player will be able to resume playing. Although the goal scorers from Selhurst Park, South Korean Hwang and Brazilian Cunha, both had long travel times back to the West Midlands, it is still unclear whether O’Neil will risk either player right away due to the early kickoff. However, Hwang just needed to come off the bench against Palace to make an impact, and Sasa Kalajdzic might fill in for Cunha if the South American needs more time to recover from his foreign trip.
Klopp has been open about his dislike of 12:30 kickoffs. Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa disclosed that Darwin Nunez had been dealing with a muscular issue. The rejuvenated forward had two assists versus Villa after his game-winning brace against Newcastle. Klopp may be concerned about his readiness for this match. Similarly Thiago Alcantara after his hip injury. This added to Klopp’s defensive conundrum.
Liverpool’s hopes of a fourth straight victory may be dashed by tardy arrivals from South America and an ongoing selection crisis at the back, but the returning Gomez and Matip formed a strong defense against Villa and should be confident of doing the same against an unpredictable Wolves attack. If Diaz and Nunez are not needed, players like Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo can step up, then O’Neil’s team shouldn’t be able to stop the Liverpool juggernaut come Saturday lunchtime.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 – 2 Liverpool
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