Liverpool will be bidding to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Wolves to Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton in the Merseyside derby last weekend, which has left them seventh on the table, six points behind league leaders Arsenal. The Merseysiders endured a miserable night in Naples on Wednesday as they were thrashed 4-1 by Napoli in the Champions League.
Jurgen Klopp will expect a big response from his team at the weekend after the horror show against Napoli in Italy.
Liverpool Team News
Thiago Alcantara’s return from injury was one of the few positives that Liverpool could take home from Napoli, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ibrahima Konate, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Calvin Ramsay all remain sidelined.
Fabio Carvalho was not involved against Napoli due to a dead leg, but the attacker has a chance of being back in the squad against Bruno Lage’s Wolves.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup vs Wolves
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker did his bit against Napoli but ended up conceding four goals. He deserves more protection from the defenders, as Liverpool have been so easy to play through since the start of the new season.
Defenders
The Reds were all over the place defensively in Naples, and on another day it could have been an even embarrassing scoreline. Having seen the likes of Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson struggle, Jurgen Klopp is expected to ring changes on Saturday.
Joel Matip is likely to come in for Gomez to slot alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence, while Kostas Tsimikas gets the nod over Robertson to start at left-back. With Calvin Ramsay injured, the Liverpool boss has no option but to persist with Alexander-Arnold, who is really struggling with form at the moment.
Midfield
Liverpool finds themselves stretched as far as their midfield is concerned, leaving Klopp with limited options to select his team from. Fabinho remains an undisputed starter in midfield, and the Brazilian will be expected to control the flow of the game with his passing and game-reading skills.
Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliot will complete Liverpool’s midfield three against Wolves. James Milner will be afforded some rest, considering there is a shortage in midfield currently.
Attack
Due to a quick turnaround, Jurgen Klopp could freshen up his options in attack. Roberto Firmino should lead the line for Klopp’s side, with Diogo Jota primed for his first start of the season. Mohamed Salah hasn’t looked close to his best but will keep his place on the right flank. The trio of Salah, Firmino and Jota will look to combine well in the final third and cause problems to the Wolves backline.
Luis Diaz is expected to be on the bench for the game, with Darwin Nunez another offensive substitute.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.