FA Cup: Wolves Look to Worsen Liverpool’s Woes in Replay

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool

After coming away with a 2-2 draw at Anfield, Wolverhampton Wanderers now host defending FA Cup champions Liverpool at Molineux for their third-round replay.

Liverpool have since suffered a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Brighton, which has extended their winless run to three games. Meanwhile, Wolves beat West Ham to end their four-game winless slump.

The reeling Reds will be desperate to avoid another disastrous setback, but Julen Lopetegui’s side will be keen to defy the FA Cup 2023 betting odds yet again.

Talking Points

Wolves’ attacking weapons finally waking up

Wolves’ wait for their first home win in the Premier League under new coach Julen Lopetegui is finally over after they beat slumping West Ham 1-0 over the weekend.

Lopetegui’s record has now improved to 3 wins, 3 draws, and one loss since taking over at Molineux in mid-November.

Prior to that win, they had gone four games in a row without a win. But one of those games was a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Wolves outplayed the struggling Reds – they had the 11-10 edge in total shots and 5-3 shots on target – as their attack is finally starting to show signs of life.

Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-Chan have not had particularly good seasons thus far, but they both had excellent performances against Liverpool as they scored Wolves’ two goals.

And there’s more good news for Lopetegui as Daniel Podence seems to be finding his best form. The Portuguese forward is now the club’s leading scorer this season after getting the winner against West Ham. Three of his five goals have come in the last five games.

Lopetegui finally gave new signing Matheus Cunha his first start against the Hammers. The Brazilian is still searching for his first goal of the season after failing to score with Atletico Madrid, although it remains to be seen whether he will get the chance to start and create some FA Cup 2023 highlights against Liverpool.

Liverpool still slumping

Liverpool’s disappointing Premier League campaign hit a new low as they were thumped 3-0 by Brighton. The Reds were completely outplayed as they had just 39 per cent possession and were outshot 16-6 in what Jurgen Klopp deemed as the team’s worst performance under his watch.

That’s now back-to-back away defeats for the Reds, who were also beaten 3-1 at Brentford. Liverpool are now down in ninth in the Premier League standings as a top-four spot looks increasingly uncertain.

The absence of Virgil van Dijk due to a hamstring injury has been a big blow to the defence, although the Dutchman has not been in the best of form this season.

It also hasn’t helped that Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, and the usually reliable Alisson have all committed costly errors that have resulted in goals over the last few games.

The Reds were also shorthanded up front, with Darwin Nunez, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota out. Cody Gakpo and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started alongside Mohamed Salah, and the trio were wildly ineffective.

With their league form in tatters and their squad depth limited, it remains to be seen whether Jurgen Klopp will send out his full-strength side for this replay, especially with a big match against Chelsea coming up on the weekend.

Liverpool have been abysmal away from Anfield this season. They have won just two of nine away matches in the Premier League, with two draws and five losses.

History

Liverpool have absolutely owned Wolves since the latter made their way up to the Premier League. The Reds have won all but three of their last 16 league meetings, with two draws and just one defeat, which came back in 2010.

However, Wolves have had Liverpool’s number when it comes to the FA Cup. They knocked Klopp’s side out in the fourth round in 2017 and in the 3rd round in 2019.

But Wolves’ FA Cup success over Liverpool goes way beyond the last few years. They also won three of their five ties spanning 1896-1952.

Betting Tip 

Despite their recent struggles, SBOTOP odds still have Liverpool installed as 1.91 favourites to emerge victorious at Molineux. Wolves are priced at 3.35 to get the home win, while a draw is 3.35.

While their first match at Anfield was a high-scoring affair, this meeting at Molineux is unlikely to see quite as many goals.

After making a host of changes to his side, Lopetegui will likely field a much stronger starting line-up with their chances of knocking out Liverpool once again much higher at home. On the flipside, Liverpool may very well field a less-than-full-strength starting XI with much more important matches looming on the horizon.

 

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