On Saturday evening, Liverpool travel to Molineux to face Wolves. At a glance, it might not seem like a pivotal game for the Reds in the grand scheme of things but this could shape the season for Arne Slot and his team.
By Sam McGuire
This is the sort of match that should be a routine win for Liverpool, especially when you consider the fact the Reds have an incredible record against their opponents having won eight of their last 10.
Wolves are bottom of the table, they’re winless in their opening five matches and they have just a single point to their name.
Gary O’Neil’s side have conceded 14 goals, the joint-highest in the Premier League. They haven’t been awful defensively, giving up chances worth 7.2 Expected Goals, but they’ve been a victim of poor goalkeeping and unbelievable finishing. Wolves have struggled going forward too, missing seven of their 10 Big Chances.
It is the worst possible combination. Unlucky in defence and poor in attack. This combination is likely why they have the lowest FotMob rating in the Premier League this season with 6.42.
There have been no home comforts for Wolves this term. They have played two at Molineux, lost two and conceded eight goals. Last season wasn’t much better in front of their home fans. They won eight of their 19 games at home and picked up 27 points. It was enough to place them 15th in the home form table.
By comparison, the Reds have won four matches and they’ve conceded just one goal. It should be a formality for the 2019/20 Premier League champions. They have a 100% record away from home in all competitions this term and had the third best away record last season. They travel well.
Liverpool have an xG Conceded total of just 3.9 across their five games and have racked up an impressive four clean sheets. They have the second-highest xG (10.1) and are joint-highest for Big Chances with 21. Defensively, they are resilient. Going forward, they are ruthless.
The star of the show for Liverpool has been Luis Díaz. The forward, who was linked with moves to Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain during the summer, has five goals to his name in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (10) has found the back of the net with greater regularity.
The Reds are firing and if it clicks for Slot and his players, Wolves could be ravaged on Saturday evening.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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