Former English footballer Chris Sutton has predicted Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers to play out a goalless draw when the two sides clash in the Premier League on Saturday (February 4).
The Reds travel to Molineux to take on Wolves for a second time in three weeks, with the Midlands side having suffered a 1-0 loss in an FA Cup third-round replay on January 17.
While Wolves are 17th in the table, tied on points with AFC Bournemouth, who are in the relegation zone, Jurgen Klopp’s side are winless in their last three Premier League games and have crashed out of the FA Cup following a 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth round.
Sutton, writing in his column for the BBC, said that the Merseyside club cannot afford to lose any more matches this season. He also stated that this team was “a shadow” of the side that fought for the league title against Manchester City last season. He said:
“I don’t think Jurgen Klopp can afford many more losses and the level of performance is the worry with the Reds at the moment. Based on performance levels, what we are seeing now is a shadow of the side that were winning game after game when they were fighting for the title with Manchester City 12 months ago.”
Looking at the weekend’s game, Sutton predicted the Reds and Wolves to play out a goalless draw. He said:
“Liverpool did beat Wolves in the FA Cup last month, but only after a replay when a VAR error saved their bacon late in the first game. Both teams made lots of changes too, so it is hard to read too much into what happened in either game when it comes to calling this one.”
The 49-year-old added:
“It would be easy to think their poor run will continue; I certainly don’t see them bouncing back like they used to under Klopp. They are really bad defensively – but I actually think they will be helped by Wolves’ lack of creativity. I don’t trust Wolves to score and that might mean Liverpool escape with a draw.”
Paul Merson predicts Liverpool and Wolves to share spoils in their Premier League clash
Another former English professional footballer and manager, Paul Merson, has predicted Liverpool and Wolves will share points when they clash on Saturday (February 3).
In his column for Sportskeeda, he wrote:
“Liverpool defeated Wolves comfortably in the FA Cup, but they need to get going in the Premier League. They played a lot of high-pressure games last season, and it’s caught up with them. They’re paying the toll with injuries and a lack of form, and they’re in a bad space at the moment.”
He added:
“Wolves are going to make it hard for Liverpool and will try to get something out of this Premier League game. I like their manager, and I think they’ll pull off a draw this weekend.”
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