Liverpool vs Wolves - The 5 talking points
The Premier League has had everything this season. From teams fighting for the top four to the title not being decided until the last game of the season, the suspense has been at its best. It has finally come down to the last matches. This week the suspense is over.
Out of Tottenham and Arsenal, only one will make the top four while Manchester City has to wait for a final victory to claim the trophy. A stumble from the past season’s champions could see Liverpool take advantage of the situation. Here, we take a look at the 5 talking points ahead of Liverpool vs Wolves.
#1 - Riding on the European success
Football witnessed one of the biggest comebacks in the mid-week as Liverpool took on Barcelona at Anfield. Trailing 3-0 from the 1st leg at the Nou Camp, Liverpool pulled off an absolute stunner as they shocked Barcelona with a 4-0 win. With Anfield in full voice behind them, Jurgen Klopp’s men proved their worth as they qualified for the finals of the Champions League.
This weekend as they welcome Wolves, Liverpool would no doubt be basking in the success of their European campaign. Having knocked out one of the giants of Europe, Liverpool would be wanting to show their dominance over Wolves. The latter would certainly not be an easy outing for the Reds and despite their mid-week high, they’d better be cautious against the Wolves.
#2 - Aftermath of the Champions League
While Liverpool would certainly cherish their Champions League semi-final victory, they have a lot of injuries to deal with. Starting with left-back Andy Robertson who had to be substituted at half time after a tackle from Luis Suarez, and skipper Jordan Henderson who received a knock to the knee. Jurgen Klopp is hopeful to have both boys back for Sunday.
Meanwhile, they still have Mohamed Salah sidelined with a head knock and Roberto Firmino out with a sore muscle. Salah could be available but Klopp confirmed that Firmino would sit the Wolves games out.
While Liverpool could certainly count on Divock Origi, Georginio Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri, they’d be worried about the fatigue factor that would come in play after such an intense game. And that is something that Wolves could take advantage of.
#3 - An eye on the Brighton vs Manchester City game
Having been on top of the Premier League table for quite a while, Liverpool would undoubtedly be gutted to miss out on the trophy by just a point. They have lost only one game this season and conceded fewer goals than the current league leaders. Liverpool went from being the one who City were chasing to hoping that the latter would drop points in the last few games to be able to climb over them in the table.
Out of every team that Liverpool pinned their hopes, Brighton most probably wouldn’t have been the one who they’d like to put their trust in but as it’s the last game of the season, football drama is not to be excluded. As Liverpool play Wolves at Anfield, they’d have an eye in Brighton's stadium as Brighton hold the key to who’ll be the champions of this season.
#4 - Wolves’s fantastic run in this season
Wolves have had a fantastic run in the Premier League this season. The recently promoted team have shown quite some character in the league to hold on to the 7th place. They have been real good against the top 6 teams, holding on to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal.
They beat Chelsea 2-1 and beat Tottenham 3-1. They held onto a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge while they beat Manchester United 2-1 at home while they beat Arsenal 3-1 recently. They have only been beaten 3-0 by Manchester City and 2-0 by Liverpool. As they travel to Anfield this weekend, they’ll want to channel their big performances against the top 6 again to avoid another defeat by Liverpool.
#5 - Nothing to lose
Wolves have nothing to lose on Sunday. They will play without fear as having come this far in the season would surely be a big achievement for them. For a recently promoted team, the 7th place is actually not that bad. They’d have their heads held high up on Sunday no matter if they win or lose against Liverpool.
Whereas for Liverpool, if Manchester City beat Brighton on Sunday, no matter what the result is against Wolves, Liverpool would lose the Premier League title. But despite being gutted at having come so close to the title only to lose it, Liverpool would certainly be proud of their run throughout the season. Even if they miss out on the Premier League, they still have one last trophy to fight for and that would be the Champions League against Tottenham.
But whether they end the season with or without a title, they’d be proud of their fight throughout the season. And so would be Wolves.
The curtains drop this Sunday and Liverpool would be waiting to know if they’d be crown champions of the Premier League or would they have to console themselves with being the runners up. This Sunday is not to be missed for sure.