
Liverpool were involved in a dramatic encounter at Goodison Park on Wednesday even by Merseyside derby standards. They will hope their fixture with relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend is a return to normality.
Having been within touching distance of a triumph at Everton that would have extended their lead at the top to nine points, Liverpool were hugely disappointed to let it slip, and it was no surprise that emotions boiled over at full-time.
There is still work to be done for Arne Slot’s team, who have a tricky run of fixtures to close out February and need to put three points on the board on Sunday to keep Arsenal at arm's length.
They will be without Curtis Jones, who was sent off in the aftermath of the 2-2 draw, but while Slot may face a ban after his red card, it looks as though he will be in the dugout for this one.
The new manager bounce came to a crashing halt for Wolves as they failed to pick up a single Premier League point in January, but 2-0 victories against Aston Villa in the league and Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup have turned the tide back in Vitor Pereira’s favour.
Matheus Cunha netted in both of those successes. Keeping the Brazilian at the club amid interest from elsewhere during the transfer window was a huge win for Wolves in their bid to stay up.
The attacking onus will be on the former Atletico Madrid forward, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Hwang Hee-Chan both sidelined.
Liverpool have won 15 of the last 16 top-flight meetings between the sides, with the only Wolves success being an emphatic one as they beat the Reds 3-0 in February 2023.
Their two previous wins over Liverpool both came in the FA Cup. Wolves knocked the Reds out of that competition twice in three years, in 2017 and 2019.
Each of the last two Anfield H2Hs have resulted in 2-0 victories for Liverpool. The latest of those was on the final day of last season in Jurgen Klopp’s final game in charge. Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah were on the scoresheet on a comfortable afternoon.
Wolves’ season won’t be defined by results in matches like this, which is just as well, as the recent H2H record does not make for pretty reading.
The Reds will look at this fixture as a good opportunity to bounce back after their midweek disappointment.
Liverpool can get back to winning ways here, but it may not be straightforward. The best bet is for the Reds to win and both teams to score.
Liverpool have been reliable for the most part against sides towards the bottom of the table. The Anfield factor will be massive for them during the run-in, as eight of their 14 remaining games are at home.
They have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last four home league matches, though, and Wolves can breach the Reds' defence on Sunday.
The solidity Liverpool had at the back to begin the season has somewhat subsided. Andy Robertson has struggled for form over the last few months, and Trent Alexander-Arnold is only just back from a thigh problem. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Goncalo Guedes should look to pull into wide positions and double up with the wing-backs to trouble the Reds in areas where they may be vulnerable.
Wolves could make this competitive, but even if Liverpool get the game won early, it is not unreasonable to suggest they may take their foot off the gas late on, with a tough trip to Aston Villa on the cards three days later. It was in similar circumstances that Ipswich Town grabbed a consolation goal at Anfield last month.
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