Here’s our prediction for Liverpool vs Wolves on Sunday. The Reds head into the game looking to keep the pressure on in a Premier League title challenge.
Luxury
The biggest factor for this game is rest. Liverpool have it for the first time in a while, having not play since Tuesday against Ajax.
More than that, the Reds have a dead-rubber in midweek. Jurgen Klopp can treat this game in isolation for once, then, not having to worry about keeping players fit for the next one.
We’re predicting a strong lineup as a result.
Pressing
One advantage of a fresh XI is that Liverpool can press at their best. No one has any desperate need to conserve energy.
That should be key. Wolves are a team that looks to spring counter-attacks through long passes from deep. The best way to stop them is pressing nice and high, making it difficult to pick the passes out.
We expect to see a press-heavy Liverpool, then. Klopp may even build his team around it.
Backup plan
Wolves won’t have Raul Jimenez for this one after a terrible injury last week. That will change their style and we’d expect them to fall back on their pace out wide a little more than usual.
But rather than looking for crosses into the box, the likes of Adama Traore will surely cut inside and use the channels often.
That could trouble Liverpool quite a lot. We might get 90 minutes of Wolves trying to get in behind – something Aston Villa did to great effect against the Reds earlier in the season.
Midfield battle
As we mentioned, Wolves like to pass the ball from deep. It creates an interesting midfield battle and Liverpool may best fancy their chances by being aggressive with forward runs.
Don’t be surprised if Klopp leans heavily into Curtis Jones for this one. Jones’s movement and attacking threat could be exactly what Liverpool need to disrupt Wolves’ shape and take away their platform to launch counter-attacks.
Bench threat
We think Liverpool will play 4-3-3, which means one of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah or Diogo Jota on the bench.
Whoever it is, they’ll be a massive threat from the bench. And in a game against a team as good as Wolves, that could prove decisive.
Liverpool vs Wolves prediction: 3-1
A tough one to call as we’re not 100% what Wolves will do without Jimenez. Still, we expect a fresh Liverpool to provide too plenty of aggression going forward. That should bring a comfortable enough win.
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