Liverpool vs. Wolves
Venue: Anfield Stadium
Kick off: 3PM
Liverpool play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers this afternoon knowing that only three points will do if they are to remain in the hunt for the Premier League title.
Everyone associated with Liverpool are still recovering from their remarkable 4-0 triumph over Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday night, but Jurgen Klopp will not find it difficult to motivate his side ahead of today’s fixture.
Liverpool have put together an eight-match winning streak in order to keep pace with Manchester City, and the Merseyside outfit can only keep their end of their bargain when facing Wolves in front of their own supporters.
There will be an acknowledgement that Brighton & Hove Albion are huge underdogs in their encounter with City, but there would be a bigger disappointment if Liverpool failed to beat Wolves and City did not overcome the Seagulls.
There will be tiredness in a squad which has been left having to cope with a number of injury issues, but Klopp responded to questions from the media by reiterating the desire of his players to play through any pain.
Liverpool will be disappointed if achieving 97 points does not prove to be enough to end their 29-year wait for a league trophy, but that will not prevent Klopp from taking countless positives into the future.
They have put themselves in this position without Mohamed Salah replicating his form from the last campaign, while Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been major misses through injury.
Klopp will be satisfied that there is a unity in his squad which can only grow stronger, especially after the scenes which followed an unforgettable win over Barcelona.
That result means that Liverpool still have an opportunity to claim a sixth European Cup in three weeks time, and it may take the edge of any frustration suffered if they narrowly miss out on finishing ahead of City.
Wolves however make the trip to Anfield having already secured seventh position in the standings, but Nuno Espirito Santo will want to achieve another high-profile scalp on the final day of the campaign.
The heartbreaking defeat to Watford in the FA Cup semi-finals could have led to a flat end to the campaign, but Nuno’s side have used the disappointment as a catalyst to earn the bragging rights outside of the top six.
Wolves are desperate to earn a place in next season’s Europa League in a bid to continue their progress both on and off the pitch, and that will be achieved if Man City can defeat Watford in the FA Cup final.
However, Nuno will stress to his players that they should take pride from a record-breaking season at Molineux, and expectations will only rise as Wolves attempt to break into the top six.
Liverpool possible XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Milner, Mane, Origi, Salah.
Wolvers possible XI: Norris, Bennett, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Jonny, Jota, Jimenez.