Wolves vs Liverpool: Premier League preview, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off time

Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Wolves vs Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.

Team news

Wolves have Ruben Neves available to face Liverpool at Molineux on Saturday. The midfielder sat out Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Burnley through suspension.

Daniel Podence may return after self-isolating having tested positive for Covid-19 but Marcal (Covid) is out. Jonny and Pedro Neto (both knee) are sidelined along with Yerson Mosquera (hamstring) and Willy Boly (muscle).

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Liverpool defender Joe Gomez and midfielder Naby Keita have returned to training after almost six weeks out but will not be ready for the weekend.

The pair, sidelined by calf and hamstring injuries respectively, are likely to be back in the squad for Tuesday's Champions League group match against AC Milan.

As next week's game in Italy is a dead rubber with his side already qualified, manager Jurgen Klopp looks set to keep changes to a minimum and could name the same team which beat Everton in midweek.

How to follow

Follow Wolves vs Liverpool in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel after full time.

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Last time out...

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Jones Knows' prediction

Liverpool to win without conceding stands out like a sore thumb here at 6/4 with Sky Bet. When Liverpool win, they win to nil. And when Wolves lose, they lose without conceding.

Eight of Liverpool's nine wins in the Premier League this season have been achieved with a clean sheet. Everton broke that run in the midweek 4-1 but created little in the way of high probability chances other than Demarai Gray's goal. Meanwhile, all five of Wolves' defeats this season have come without them scoring in the match.

To put it simply, Wolves aren't scoring or creating many big opportunities in the final third.

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Despite Bruno Lage overseeing a positive start to his reign Wolves have scored the third fewest in the division, but it's their expected goals numbers that are a greater area of concern. In their last four fixtures against Crystal Palace, West Ham, Norwich and Burnley, Lage's team have posted a total expected goals figure of just 2.29 - the lowest of any side in the Premier League for that period. When you factor in the level of opposition, it's actually a laughable record.

The Reds have beaten Wolves to nil in five of the last six Premier League meetings. There is a fair chance of adding another one to the list.

SCORE PREDICTION: 0-2

BETTING ANGLE: Liverpool to win to nil (6/4 with Sky Bet)

Opta stats

• Wolves have won just one of their 14 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D2 L11), winning 1-0 at Anfield in December 2010. They've lost their last nine against the Reds in the competition by an aggregate score of 20-2.
• Liverpool haven't lost any of their last eight away league games against Wolves (W5 D3), with their last league defeat at Molineux coming back in August 1981 (0-1).
• Since their return to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have lost just two of their 13 home league games kicking off at 3pm on Saturday (W7 D4), going down 2-0 against Watford in October 2018 and 5-2 against Chelsea in September 2019.
• Wolves have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets, as many as they'd kept in their previous 18 such games beforehand. They are looking to keep four in a row for the first time since a run between March and June 2020.
• Liverpool have scored 43 goals in 14 Premier League games this season, with only Man City in both 2011-12 (48) and 2017-18 (44) scoring more at this stage of a Premier League season. However, the Reds are third in the table, with Wolves in 1959-60 the last side to have scored that many at this stage and not be top of the league having played the same number of games as the team at the top (scored 43, were 3rd).
• Wolves' last two Premier League games have ended 0-0 - the last side to draw three games goalless in a row were West Ham in December 2015. However, their opponents Liverpool have scored in their last 24 Premier League games, the longest ongoing such run in the division.
• Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has won all six of his Premier League games against Wolves, his best 100% winning record against any opponent in his top-flight managerial career.
• Liverpool forward Diogo Jota turns 25 on the day of this game. He could become just the third player to score a Premier League goal on his birthday against a side he previously played for in the competition, after Emmanuel Adebayor (for Spurs vs Arsenal in 2012) and Juan Mata (for Man Utd vs Chelsea in 2019).
• Liverpool full-back Andrew Robertson could become the 15th Scotsman to make 200 Premier League appearances in this match, and the first since James McArthur in April 2018. Robertson's 43 assists are the most any Scotsman has provided in his first 200 games in the competition, 11 more than the next most (Gary McAllister, 32).
• Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in at least one goal in his last 12 Premier League appearances, either scoring (12 goals) or assisting (6 goals) in every match. In Premier League history, only Jamie Vardy (15 in a row between August and December 2015) has been involved in a goal in more consecutive appearances.

Premier League Preview - Gerrard's Villa impact assessed | Rafa's problems at Everton | Brilliant Bernardo Silva

Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports News Midlands reporter Rob Dorsett, features writer Nick Wright and football journalist Oliver Yew to look ahead to the Premier League weekend.

PART 1 | Rob Dorsett discusses Steven Gerrard's impact at Aston Villa, the club's ambitious plans, and the reasons behind Leicester's underwhelming start to the season.

PART 2 | Nick Wright assesses the problems facing Rafa Benitez at Everton and what Mikel Arteta must do to get a misfiring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in form.

PART 3 | Oliver Yew reflects on Bernardo Silva's brilliant performances for Manchester City, the strength in depth at Pep Guardiola's disposal, and whether there's a chance of an upset at Watford.

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