Wolves clash is the last true Premier League test for Liverpool

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Liverpool have a trip to Wolves on Thursday in what is surely their last big test of the Premier League season.

That’s a bit of a strange thing to say in January about a side competing for the title but this remarkable campaign makes it true.

You can get the obvious reason out of the way quickly – their opponents on Thursday are really good. Wolves are fifth in the Premier League, a difficult opponent for any side, and Liverpool should fear them.

They beat Manchester City at the Etihad just last month, while Liverpool only just beat them at Anfield.

But there’s another reason. After Wolves, Liverpool face one more side from the top half of the Premier League before April. And that’s Southampton at home.

The Reds will, naturally, expect to win every single one of those games. The toughest-looking game is away at Everton and that’s a game against Everton. Everyone will predict three points there – the Reds could just put out their reserves, after all.

All of those games aren’t really tests of Liverpool. Together they will test complacency and focus – but they won’t test how good this side is. Liverpool proved that already.

No, the league doesn’t stop in April. Liverpool actually have a trip to City to begin that month. But the way things have gone and are going, the title should be all-but wrapped up by then. They may even have won it.

But even if they hadn’t, it would take a historic collapse outdoing even Newcastle United’s for that game to be relevant. There’s a chance the Premier League isn’t Liverpool’s main focus by then, in fact.

So this game against Wolves is really the last of the Premier League season where you’d worry for Liverpool. They’ll be strong favourites in every game for the next two months and after that there’s no reason to worry – just to party.