Liverpool thrashed West Ham 5-1 in their third-round EFL Cup clash this week, with Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo both bagging braces. This comes on the heels of a 3-0 Premier League victory over Bournemouth, where Luis Diaz continued his impressive form with two goals, and Darwin Nunez added a stunning finish.
After a solid 3-1 win over AC Milan in the Champions League, Liverpool has now strung together three wins across three different competitions and are just one point behind league leaders Manchester City.
Liverpool's attacking prowess has been evident, scoring multiple goals in each of their last five away games across all competitions, while maintaining a solid defense, conceding just one Premier League goal so far this season.
On the other hand, Wolves have the league’s joint-worst defensive record, having conceded 14 goals alongside Everton, and they are coming off a painful defeat to Aston Villa, where they squandered a lead to lose 3-1.
Wolves’ September has been particularly tough, with losses to Brighton in the EFL Cup and Newcastle in the Premier League. Currently, they're just above the bottom of the table, ahead of Everton.
Scoring goals hasn’t been Wolves’ problem—they’ve netted in their last six games—but their defense has been their Achilles heel, having gone 17 Premier League games without a clean sheet. They could also set an unwanted record as the first team to lose three consecutive Premier League games after leading at half-time.
Wolves have lost their last three meetings with Liverpool, including a 2-0 defeat at Anfield in May during Jurgen Klopp’s farewell.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, missed another game midweek due to a muscle injury, and manager Arne Slot admitted it might be a "tight" call for him to return this weekend. This means Caoimhin Kelleher is set to make back-to-back starts in the Premier League after stepping up last weekend with some key saves in the second half. The only other injury concern for Liverpool is Harvey Elliott, who remains sidelined with a foot fracture.Slot may decide to make up to nine changes to the lineup following the EFL Cup victory over West Ham. Notably, Diogo Jota, who scored twice in that match, played only 59 minutes, while Darwin Nunez went the full distance, suggesting that Jota could lead the attack this week.
For Wolves, their recent collapse against Aston Villa was significantly impacted by the injury to Yerson Mosquera, who has a serious knee issue that could keep him out for the rest of the season. He’s one of five players dealing with knee injuries, including Sasa Kalajdzic, Enso Gonzalez, Bastien Meupiyou, and Boubacar Traore. However, O'Neil might have Toti available again to fill in for Mosquera; if not, Santiago Bueno will partner Craig Dawson in defense.
Left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, who was on Liverpool's radar, has returned from his own fitness issues and played the full 90 minutes against Villa. However, he needs to be careful, as receiving a yellow card in this match would put him one booking away from a suspension.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:Johnstone; Semedo, S. Bueno, Dawson, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Lemina, Andre, Gomes, Cunha; Larsen
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota
EXPERT PREDICTION
Wolves 2-4 Liverpool
