Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool: Preview, Team News, and Ways to Watch

Wolves vs Liverpool

| Tuesday, January 17th |
FA Cup | Molineux Stadium
7:45PM BST / 2:45PM EST

After putting up one of their very worst displays in recent memory in Saturday’s 0-3 loss to Brighton, Liverpool get a chance to put things somewhat right, as they look to advance in the FA Cup through a Wolverhampton replay they probably didn’t earn.

Wolves haven’t had a stellar season thus far, as they sit 16th, two points clear of the relegation zone, and haven’t fared much better since replacing Bruno Lage with Julen Lopetegui, winning only one of their last five, but they could reasonably argue they deserved to win at Anfield, as a faulty camera failed to overturn the linesman’s offside call on what would have been their game winner on that occasion.

Wolves will be missing Pedro Neto and Boubacar Traore through injury, while Diego Costa will be a game day decision, but top scorer Daniel Podence, star striker Raúl Jiménez and midfield maestro Rúben Neves should all be available.

Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Kelleher; Milner, Gomez, Konaté, Tsimikas; Keïta, Jones, Elliott; Carvalho, Gakpo, Salah

For the Reds, domestic cup keeper Caomhin Kelleher was suprisingly left out last time around, as Jürgen Klopp rolled out a full-strength side, but could be back between the sticks tomorrow, and rotation through the XI wouldn’t be amiss, particularly with Chelsea coming to town on Saturday.

At the back, Trent Alexander-Arnold needs his minutes managed and should get a rest, but with Calvin Ramsay mysteriously missing, Joe Gomez or James Milner will have to deputise at right-back. Ibrahima Konaté, Joël Matip and Nat Phillips make up the options in the centre, while Kostas Tsimikas should get a run-out at left-back. Virgil van Dijk is kept out with a thigh injury.

In midfield, Naby Keïta and Curtis Jones should be starting, with Stefan Bajcetic a dark horse, while Harvey Elliott is likely to wrap up the trio. Fabinho, Thiago and Jordan Henderson should all be afforded a rest.

Up top, Darwin Núñez’s status is unclear as yet, and the expectation is that he will not return until the weekend, opening the door for another attempt at a Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah front line. Ben Doak and Fabio Carvalho are waiting in the wings, while Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz all miss out with injuries.

What the Managers Said

Jürgen Klopp: “They were good and it’s a home game now. In these situations now, the easiest explanation is always to try to bring yourself in the position of the opponent the other way around – they come here. Yes, we would be on our toes, they will be on their toes. Completely normal.”

Julen Lopetegui: “.“

The Officials

Referee: Who knows
Assistant referees: Shrug
Fourth official: No information
VAR: Probably bad tho

Kickoff is set for 7:45PM GMT/2:45PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.

In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.