Top-four English Premier League side Liverpool will be hosting second-tier Championship League club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fourth round of the FA Cup this weekend. The big match is all set for Anfield on Saturday, January 28th.
Liverpool were surprise 3-2 losers at home against lowly Swansea City in league action last weekend. They then faced Premier League outfit Southampton on the south coast on Wednesday in the second leg of their English League Cup semifinal and were beaten 1-0,losing 2-0 on aggregate.
Meanwhile Wolverhampton lost their last match 3-1 away at Norwich City in the Championship League a week ago.
Liverpool vs Wolverhampton – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Liverpool as the favorites to win the game at -322 with Wolverhampton +974 and a draw at +490
Liverpool vs Wolverhampton – Head to Head:
- The last time these two teams met was in the 2011/12 Premier League campaign. Liverpool won 2-1 at Anfield and 3-0 in Wolverhampton. Overall, the two clubs have squared off 100 times with Liverpool winning 49, losing 34 and drawing the other 17. Wolves last win was in league play in December of 2010 when they won 1-0 at Anfield. It’s their only win in the past eight meetings dating back to 1984 along with two draws and five losses.
Liverpool – A Closer Look:
The Reds are coming off of a 3-2 home loss to Swansea City in league play last Saturday and then a 1-0 League Cup defeat to Southampton. The league loss dropped the club to fourth place in the standings, 10 points behind league-leading Chelsea. They’re also two points back of second-place Arsenal and three adrift of third-place Tottenham Hotspur. However, they’re still two ahead of fifth-place Manchester City and four up on sixth-place Manchester United. Liverpool has 45 points from 13 wins, six draws and three defeats with a league-high 51 goals scored and 27 allowed.
Liverpool has just one win in their past seven matches in all competitions with three defeats and three draws. Overall, the side has lost just four of its past 26 contests in all competitions though. Manager Jurgen Klopp has a few injury concerns to deal with as forward Danny Ings and goaltender Adam Bogdan are out for the season while midfielder Marko Grujic is listed as day to day. In addition, Sadio Mane is playing with Senegal at the African Cup of Nations. Liverpool has lost just once at home in league play this season, which was last Saturday.
The Reds also have seven wins and two draws at home with 28 goals for and 10 against and have eight clean sheets in their past 15 contests in all competitions. Liverpool had to beat fourth-tier League Two club Plymouth Argyle 1-0 away in a replay in the last round of the FA Cup after playing to a 0-0 draw in their original meeting. Liverpool has played in 14 FA Cup Finals with a record of 7-7. Their last win was 2006 over West Ham United while their last appearance was a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in 2012.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – A Closer Look:
Wolves enter the contest in 18th place in the 24-team Championship League. They’ve accumulated just 32 points out of a possible 81 after 27 games. They have eight wins, eight draws and 11 losses with 34 goals scored and 37 allowed. Wolves are seven points ahead of 22nd-place Burton Albion and the relegation zone and are 28 behind first-place Brighton. They’re also 13 points behind sixth-place Sheffield Wednesday and the final playoff spot.
Wolves have appeared in a total of eight FA Cup Finals with four wins and four losses under their belt. Their last victory and appearance was a 3-0 triumph over Blackburn Rovers way back in 1960. They beat Premier League side Stoke City 2-0 away in the last round of this year’s FA Cup. Wolves, who are managed by Paul Lambert, have four wins, five draws and five defeats away from home this season with 16 goals for and 15 against. They have three victories, a draw and pair of losses in their last six outings with eight goals for ad seven conceded.
Liverpool vs Wolverhampton– Takeaway:
Liverpool’s season is slipping away from them as they’re down to fourth place in the Premier League and out of the League Cup. This means the FA Cup is their only realistic chance at silverware so they better take it seriously.
by Ian S. Palmer