Wolverhampton clash with Liverpool in FA Cup 3rd round
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The last time Wolverhampton Wanderers hosted Liverpool in the FA Cup, they came away with an impressive 2-1 win. That fixture took place nearly two years ago in the competition’s fourth round. Now, Wolves have the opportunity to kill off one of the giants of English football once more.
Wolverhampton are a much different team today than they were in January 2017. Eight of the 11 players who started the match for Wolves are no longer at the club and then-manager Paul Lambert was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo. Wolverhampton have also gained promotion to the Premier League and are on common footing with Liverpool.
Monday night’s FA Cup match will be the second meeting between Wolves and Liverpool in the last month. The clubs met at Molineaux Stadium in late December with Liverpool winning 2-0. The Reds were rarely troubled by Wolverhampton and goals from Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk sealed the victory.
Liverpool are coming off of their first loss of the league season on Thursday night. The Reds fell 2-1 to Manchester City in an exciting match. Liverpool are still four points ahead of Manchester City in the table, but the loss could take its toll on morale. Manager Jurgen Klopp could choose to rest several of his star players.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino have all featured heavily this season. They all also appeared at the World Cup giving them very little time off. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Klopp change all 11 players from the team that appeared against Manchester City.
Adam Lallana and Naby Keita should both start in the midfield while Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi will most likely get opportunities in attack. Klopp may be forced to play first-choice centre-back Van Dijk due to injuries to Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. Liverpool do have six fit defenders but Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Phillips have rarely featured so far.
Although Liverpool lost to Wolves in their last FA Cup meeting, the Reds have won five of their last six games in all competitions between the duo. Each game has seen two or more goals scored. Santo has injury issues to contend with. Midfielder Romain Saiss suffered a knee injury this week while forward Adama Traore has a hamstring issue. The latter could still feature in the Wolves team.
Wolverhampton have done well against the big teams this term. They have recorded wins against Chelsea and Tottenham along with a draw against Manchester City. Yet, Wolves have played poorly against teams in the lower half of the table. Liverpool outplayed them at Molineaux in December and they will once again get the best of Wolves. The match will see more than two goals scored with Liverpool advancing to the fourth round with a win.
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