Liverpool vs Wolves: Preview and Prediction

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Liverpool's last dance of the season at Anfield

The stakes for the 2021-22 English Premier League have reached the highest point as the action enters into the final matchday while Liverpool‘s chase for glory is still on. The Reds will take their step toward the PL trophy when Anfield will be hosting the visitor Wolves on Sunday. 

There are slim chances of Liverpool clinching the domestic league before marching towards the continental silverware. The Reds are currently standing in the second position of the EPL standings with 89 points from 37 fixtures. They are trailing behind the league leaders Manchester City by just a single point while also having the UEFA Champions League final on the cards, the following Sunday. 

The recent form has diminished Wolves’ plans of preparing for the upcoming edition of the UEFA Conference League. Now it’s quite evident that the Wulfrunians’ hopes of finishing inside the Top 7 are over as West Ham United has already booked their berth for the final ticket of European competition. It was a rollercoaster ride for the Wanderers in the 2021-22 English top-flight league although they still finished higher than the previous season.

Current Form

After edging the rivals Chelsea on penalties to lift the prestigious FA Cup trophy, Liverpool gets back to Premier League football with a bang against Southampton. Jurgen Klopp’s Army made a solid comeback after going down to 0-1 in the 13th minute and clinched three crucial match-points on a 2-1 scoreline. Pool’s Japanese attacking midfielder Takumi Minamino scored the season’s third PL goal but refused to celebrate against the Saints with whom he spent a short loan stint. 

Rayan Ait-Nouri - The talk of the town

Rayan Ait-Nouri – The talk of the town

On the other hand, the Wolves haven’t won a single game in their last six Premier League fixtures including a 5-1 defeat from Manchester City in front of the home crowd. Except for the 2-2 draw with Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge, the Wanderers have had very less cherishable moments in the past two months. On the last matchday, they played a frustrating 1-1 draw with the bottom-placed Norwich City at the Molineux Stadium which must’ve dampened the confidence of Men in Yellow ahead of the final test. 

Head to Head Record

Liverpool and Wolves have faced each other 109 times in the English top division football to the date and the head-to-head outcome of this combat favours the Reds who are cruising on 56 wins. While the Wanderers have emerged victorious 36 times and 17 encounters between them concluded on resultless outcomes.

The results of the last 10 face-offs have gone in favour of the Merseyside-based club which is rigorously controlling this rivalry.  The last time Wanderers tasted the victory against Liverpool was back in 2010 before their six-year spell in lower-division English football. The Reds are unbeaten against the Wulfrunians for more than a decade and their triumph chariot is still marching hard. 

The man who has mastery in scoring the late winners

The man who has mastery in scoring the late winners

The most recent chapter of this rivalry was won by the Reds with the help of Divock Origi’s late stunner, earlier this season. The encounter entered into injury time when the Belgian striker broke the deadlock and scored the winning goal for Liverpool in the dying moments (90+4′). 

Team News

Klopp rested most of his key players in the Southampton clash to protect them ahead of two huge games that could make or break their 2021-22 campaign. The Egyptian forward Mo. Salah hasn’t started in their last two league fixtures and is eying on a return to goal-scoring flair as his Golden Boot claim has also been heavily challenged by Heung-Min Son recently. Virgil van Dijk is also among doubtful candidates for this fixture and the final call on their situation will be taken by the German gaffer. 

The 22-year-old Portuguese winger Chiquinho delivered an amazing cameo performance in Wolves’ 1-1 settlement with Norwich City. The youngster may receive a surprise call from Bruno Lage to get featured in the Starting Eleven against Liverpool. Daniel Podence’s return from the toe injury is a great sign for the Wanderers as the midfielder was subbed on for 15 minutes in the last game and may get a bigger role in the final league fixture of the season.

Predicted Starting XIs

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson; Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz

Wolves (3-4-2-1): Jose Sa; Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Toti; Leander Dendoncker, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Pedro Neto, Raul Jimenez; Hwang Hee-Chan

Prediction

If Manchester City drops the points against Aston Villa then Liverpool’s chances of lifting the silverware will arise. Although in order to make it happen, the Reds will have to win this game at any cost. Hence the Liverpool roster will play their hearts out on Sunday and will leave no stone unturned to accomplish the mission.

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