
Wolverhampton Wanderers are without a top-flight victory this season. Their upcoming fixtures are far from easy, starting with Liverpool, who have responded to their home defeat by Nottingham Forest with three wins featuring 11 goals in all competitions.
No Premier League team has conceded more goals than Wolves, who have shipped 14 in total including eight in just two home games.
Gary O'Neil’s side were on course for their first triumph of the campaign on Saturday as they took a first-half lead at Aston Villa and held on until the 73rd minute. Ollie Watkins’ equaliser was followed by an 88th-minute Ezri Konsa strike before Jhon Duran added a stoppage-time dagger.
To make matters worse, centre-back Yerson Mosquera has been ruled out for the season with MCL and ACL injuries. Wolves were already short in defence before that blow, and it is now a desperate situation at the back.
Liverpool’s 1-0 loss to Forest at Anfield was a reality check after a perfect opening three weeks of 2024-25. A 3-0 success against Bournemouth lifted them back into second place, while impressive performances in the Champions League and Carabao Cup either side of the win over the Cherries have quickly brought the feel-good factor back.
The Reds have a plethora of attacking options, many of which will feel like they deserve to start at Molineux. Luis Diaz netted twice on Saturday before Darwin Nunez added a third. On Wednesday against West Ham, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo each scored two, with Mohamed Salah also obliging against the Hammers.
Under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds had an excellent record against Wolves, winning all but one of their 12 league encounters with the West Midlands side. They also won the three previous meetings, when Kenny Dalglish was in charge.
Liverpool have had a knack for snatching all three points at the death at Molineux. Three of their last four triumphs at Wolves have seen them turn one point into three in the 84th minute or later.
In this fixture 12 months ago, the home side took an early lead through Hwang Hee-chan, but a second-half turnaround saw the Reds run out 3-1 winners. They completed the double over Wolves in Klopp’s final game in the dugout thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah.
It’s the league’s best defence versus its joint worst, so it is no wonder Liverpool are clear favourites with the bookmakers.
Wolves haven’t had issues scoring goals, but it will be a tough task for them at the other end.
Wolves need a result as soon as possible. They may not have the quality to get anything out of the Liverpool fixture but O’Neil will ensure they give it a good go. The best bet for this match is for Wolves to register over 8.5 shots.
Liverpool will be the fifth side from last season’s top seven that Wolves have faced in their opening six league matches. Even though they lost the other four, they showed plenty of attacking intent and managed at least nine shots on each occasion.
Wolves had 12 efforts in home games against Chelsea and Newcastle United, and they came out of the blocks fast away at Aston Villa with 10 attempts in the first half alone as they went into the break a goal to the good.
The Reds have kept things tight at the back thus far but they did allow Bournemouth to have 19 shots at Anfield and were fortunate not to concede. Arne Slot’s side then gave up 12 attempts at home to West Ham in an open encounter, albeit with a much-changed XI.
Attack may be the best form of defence for the hosts at Molineux, and 8.5 is a rather low number for them to hunt down - particularly if they are chasing the game in the second half.
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