Liverpool will hope for a miracle to win the Premier League title when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Anfield on Sunday.
The long-winding 2021/22 Premier League season will finally end this weekend, with all ten matches scheduled to be played simultaneously. The stakes atop the table are higher than ever before, with the title race going down the wire. And Liverpool will hope for Manchester City to slip up against Aston Villa while aiming to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.
2021/22 will probably go down as the greatest season in Liverpool’s storied history if things go their way in the coming week. The Reds are in contention to win an unprecedented quadruple of major honours, having already lifted the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. Jurgen Klopp’s men are only one point behind Manchester City, meaning their fate in the Premier League is not in their hands.
After the excursions in the Premier League this weekend, Liverpool will focus on the UEFA Champions League, where they will face off against Real Madrid. But first up, the Merseyside giants will aim to get the better of Wolves while hoping for a favour from Aston Villa, managed by former captain and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
On the other hand, Wolves are already in vacation mode, as they are guaranteed to finish in the top half while having no chance of clinching European qualification. Wolverhampton Wanderers have thus been playing like a team that does not have any implications to face, and they are currently on a six-game winless run.
The reverse fixture ended in a 1-0 win for Liverpool, with Divock Origi scoring the match-winner deep into injury time. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Watch Jürgen Klopp’s press conference LIVE as he previews #LIVWOL ? https://t.co/EKiQFwfDS5
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 20, 2022
Jurgen Klopp does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Liverpool manager could have a fully fit squad at his disposal on Saturday.
Virgil van Dijk (knee), Joe Gomez (ankle), Fabinho (hamstring) and Mohamed Salah (groin) are unlikely to be fully fit to take on Wolves. But the quartet will undergo late fitness tests to determine their availability, with each player expected to be involved in Liverpool’s matchday squad.
Klopp will likely reserve Salah as an emergency option keeping an eye on the UEFA Champions League final next week against Real Madrid, considering he has all his other attacking resources at his disposal. Roberto Firmino could also miss out, meaning Diogo Jota should spearhead the Liverpool attack against Wolves, with Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane completing a dynamic frontline.
Fabinho should also be preserved for the UEFA Champions League final, with Klopp expected to introduce him in the second half to get some rhythm under his belt. Jordan Henderson will sit at the base of the Liverpool midfield in Fabinho’s absence, with Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita being the two box-to-box midfielders.
Unlike Salah and Fabinho, van Dijk should start at the heart of the Liverpool defence alongside Joel Matip, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson returning as the two full-backs. Gomez, who picked up his injury against Southampton, was unlikely to feature anyway and will miss out versus Wolves. Finally, Alisson Becker picks himself between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Keita, Henderson, Thiago; Diaz, Jota, Mane
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Unlike his counterpart in the Liverpool dugout, Bruno Lage will have a few players missing ahead of the trip to Anfield. On Saturday, the Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be bereft of the services of three squad members.
Romain Saiss (knee), Nelson Semedo (hamstring) and Max Kilman (ankle) have all seen their respective campaigns end prematurely, with Saiss likely to have played his final game for Wolves. The trio’s absence leaves Lage somewhat short-changed in the defensive unit.
? | #GW38 TEAM NEWS – WOLVES
?️ Bruno Lage confirms that Romain Saiss is still out, along with longer-term absentees Nelson Semedo and Max Kilman. There are no new fitness concerns to report.#FFScout #FPL #FPLCommunity pic.twitter.com/Im9ZY3Jhvb
— Fantasy Football Scout (@FFScout) May 20, 2022
With Saiss and Kilman unavailable, Lage had to deploy Toti Gomes in the central defensive unit. And following an impressive showing against Norwich City last week, Toti should keep his place at the back alongside Conor Coady and Willy Boly. Jose Sa will resume his duties between the sticks after winning Wolves’ Player of the Season awards.
Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves might feature for Wolves for the final time on Sunday, and the duo will look to curb the output of their Liverpool counterparts. Jonny Otto and Rayan Ait-Nouri will flank the two central midfielders, with the duo providing width higher up the pitch.
Raul Jimenez will spearhead Wolves’ attack against Liverpool, with Chiquinho and Pedro Neto likely to be the two wide men. Francisco Trincao, Daniel Podence, Hwang hee-Chan and Fabio Silva will be viable backup options for Lage to consider in the second half.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Sa; Boly, Coady, Toti; Jonny, Moutinho, Neves, Ait-Nouri; Chiquinho, Jimenez, Neto
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won their last ten Premier League games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the run including eight clean sheets, since a 1-0 home loss in December 2010 under Roy Hodgson. Wolves have lost 17 of their last 19 away league games against Liverpool, winning the other two both by a 1-0 scoreline in January 1984 and December 2010.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in all six of their closing day Premier League games under Jurgen Klopp (W5 D1), winning the last five in a row. Their most recent defeat in Gameweek 38 came in 2014/15 under Brendan Rodgers, a 6-1 loss at Stoke City. The Reds are unbeaten in 15 matches (W13 D2) when playing their final game of a league season at home since losing 2-0 against Arsenal in 1988/89 in one of the most famous finales to a top-flight campaign.
- Wolves have lost their final game in six of their seven Premier League campaigns, winning the other 2-1 against Sunderland in 2009/10. No current Premier League side has a lower win rate in the last game of a season than Wolves (14 per cent).
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their most recent 22 Premier League home games (W17 D5), scoring 53 goals and conceding just ten. If they avoid defeat here, it will be the fifth time the Reds will have gone through an entire Premier League campaign without losing at home, the joint-most of any team (Chelsea also five).
- Sadio Mane has scored six goals on the final day of the Premier League. Only Harry Kane (8) has netted more among players currently playing in the English top flight.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
Several players are worthy of featuring in this section, considering Sadio Mane has a splendid record on the final day of a Premier League season. At the same time, Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho’s fitness situation will be interesting to note. But Salah is the undisputed choice for the section, considering he is leading the Golden Boot race and will hope to pip Son Heung-min to the honour.
In addition, Salah needs to build his sharpness ahead of next week’s UEFA Champions League final, especially in the wake of his recent comments. While he might not make the starting eleven, Salah will likely feature off the bench, making for a daunting prospect for Wolves in the second half.
Prediction
Liverpool 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
As iterated earlier, Wolverhampton Wanderers already seem to be in vacation mode, which bodes well for Liverpool ahead of their final day Premier League excursions. While the fate of the title race is out of their hands, the Reds will aim to win their game while hoping to see Steven Gerrard finally deliver a Premier League triumph to his beloved club.
Liverpool should be comfortable for the most part against Wolves, who will barely carry a threat on the break. And in beating the Midlands club convincingly, the Merseyside giants might also witness Mohamed Salah should enhance his case for reclaiming the Premier League Golden Boot. The Hard Tackle predicts a straightforward 3-0 win for Liverpool.
