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Matchweek 22 of the Premier League is set to get underway this weekend, with Liverpool set to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers on February 4. Former Reds defender Mark Lawrenson, meanwhile, believes his side's dismal form is set to continue.
The Merseysiders are currently a shadow of their former selves. Having been two points away from completing an unprecedented quadruple last season, they find themselves languishing ninth in the Premier League table.
Liverpool have also been knocked out in both domestic competitions. They also look likely to be second-best against Real Madrid in their Champions League Round of 16 tie later this month.
Similarly, Wolves have also been struggling domestically. Despite a 1-0 victory against West Ham United, taking them above the relegation zone, they remain in 17th place. They are just above Bournemouth on goal difference.
Wolves' main struggle has been a lack of goals, scoring just 12 goals in 20 games. Manager Julen Lopetegui will be hoping his side take on their recent 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the FA Cup as a source of inspiration to get a result.
The last time the two sides faced off, it took a stunning, long-range effort from starlet Harvey Elliot for Liverpool to scrape past Wolves.
The Reds have been plagued with injuries to key players and Lawrenson believes this will be their undoing. In his column for Paddy Power, he wrote:
"I’ll be at this game and Liverpool have lots of injury worries. It’s been really interesting because they had two clean sheets before that Brighton game. Yes, that was another defeat, but the performance wasn’t that bad. They could have run away with it in the first half."
He added:
"Julen Lopetegui‘s done a good job and these two have played each other a lot recently. I’m going to go for a draw, Wolves just don’t score many goals. Wolves 1-1 Liverpool."
The Reds' manager Jurgen Klopp will be looking for a response from his side. They have gone the entirety of January without picking up a win in the Premier League. Their trip to Molineux on Saturday may just ignite the spark that has been missing all season.
Jurgen Klopp urges Liverpool to emulate Marcus Rashford's example and get back to winning ways
Jurgen Klopp is unfazed about his side's dip in form this season and has claimed that it is only a matter of time before the Reds get back to winning ways.
Key players like Mohamed Salah, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold have struggled to find the heights they reached in previous seasons. However, Klopp believes this is temporary. In today's (January 3) pre-match press conference against Wolves, he said:
"I think you all see that some players haven’t exactly reached the levels they have reached for us consistently over the past five or six years. That’s not unusual. It happens to other players as well. One of the best examples is probably Marcus Rashford. The season he had last year and the season he is having this year, I’m not sure he can explain it."
Marcus Rashford has been in scintillating form this season, having scored 18 times in 31 appearances compared to just five goals last season.
Similarly, Klopp will be hoping for his key players to return to form, starting with their next fixture against Wolves.
