JURGEN KLOPP will demand a response from his stuttering Liverpool side as they kick off their FA Cup defence with a tricky tie at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Reds saw their mini revival grind to a halt in midweek as they crashed to a deserved 3-1 defeat at Brentford on a night when two of my recommended bets landed.
It ended a four-game winning run in the Premier League but the defeat had arguably been coming, with Liverpool lucky not to concede more goals in their victories over Aston Villa and Leicester.
Losing Virgil van Dijk to injury capped a miserable night for Klopp and he will be looking for his defence to tighten up when Wolves come calling in the Cup.
It has been a mixed bag so far for new Molineux boss Julen Lopetegui with a win, a draw and a defeat in his first three games at the helm. The former Spain manager looks to have made an early impact but his team will have to start scoring more goals to move clear of danger in the Premier League.
Wolves have netted just 11 times in the league all season but Lopetegui will still fancy their chances of an Anfield goal after watching the Reds cough up so many chances to the opposition since returning from the World Cup break.
How the bookies view it
Wolverhampton Wanderers are as big as 10/1 with Betfred, which looks a bit overpriced on the evidence of Liverpool's last two performances. Liverpool's best price is just 7/20 at Unibet while the draw pays 47/10 at SBK.
Recent head to head
Liverpool have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning eight of the last nine meetings. But Wolves can take heart from the fact the other game during that run was an FA Cup tie they won 2-1 at Molineux.
Players to watch
It's hard not to feel for Darwin Nunez as his bad luck in front of goal continues. After missing a series of great chances since the Premier League restart, the Liverpool striker scored at Brentford only to see VAR rule it out for a tight offside call. His luck will finally turn at some point and the Uruguayan is 5/4 at Bet365 for a goal here.
Adama Traore has come off the bench in all three games since Lopetegui's arrival but the Wolves boss might be tempted to start him at Anfield. Liverpool's full-backs leave so much space in behind and someone with Traore's pace can exploit that. He's 8/1 at William Hill for anytime scorer but an assist looks more likely once that market is priced up.
Anything else catch the eye?
I backed Wolves cards in their midweek Midlands derby and it paid off as they picked up three yellows. Bet365 are offering 5/6 on over 1.5 cards for the Molineux men in this one and that looks worth a bet.
With Liverpool so open at the back, I'm tempted by BTTS here, even though Wolves have struggled for goals all season. They've scored in two of the last three games and backing both teams to find the net at Anfield pays evens at William Hill.
Wolves have racked up a lot of corners recently, with 15 won across their last two games. That makes them worth a look in the corner handicap, where Wolves +4 pays 11/10 at Bet365. Backing over 10 match corners is 6/5 with the same firm.
This FA Cup match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers will be played on Jan 7, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Liverpool vs Wolverhampton Wanderers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
