Wolves v Liverpool predictions: Reds' rearguard could be rocked in replay

Improving Wolves can punish out-of-sorts Liverpool

Julen Lopetegui will take charge of his first Premier League game as Wolves boss at EvertonCredit: Jack Thomas - WWFC

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Wolves v Liverpool in the FA Cup third round on Tuesday.

Where to watch

BBC One, 7.45pm Tuesday

Best bet

Wolves to qualify
2pts 17-10 Betfair, Paddy Power

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Team news

Wolves
Joao Moutinho is unlikely to be risked after suffering a knock against West Ham. Striker Diego Costa could be available but Pedro Neto, Boubacar Traore, Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho are injured, while Mario Lemina is ineligible.

Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Arthur remain sidelined and Darwin Nunez is unlikely to feature. Youngsters Fabio Carvalho and Stefan Bajcetic are pushing for starts.

Match preview

Liverpool's last two away Premier League trips ended in a 3-1 defeat at Brentford and a 3-0 rout by Brighton so the Reds look well worth opposing in their FA Cup third-round replay at Wolves.

Jurgen Klopp's men are the cup holders but they have had little to cheer about in recent weeks as their progress has been hampered by a significant injury list and some error-strewn defensive performances.

They were fortunate to emerge with a 2-2 draw in the original tie at Anfield as Wolves had a late goal ruled out for offside and the winners of the replay will travel to Brighton in the fourth round.

Klopp and his players may not regard that as a tempting prize given their harrowing league defeat at the Amex Stadium on Saturday. "I can't remember a worse game, I honestly can't," said the Liverpool manager after his side's 3-0 defeat while skipper Jordan Henderson conceded that "everything" had gone wrong for the Reds.

Wolves are not in the same class as Brighton but they are undoubtedly on the up under former Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui and look worth backing to qualify from the tie, having narrowly missed out on eliminating Liverpool at Anfield.

Premier League survival is the main objective for Lopetegui, whose Molineux reign started with a 2-0 EFL Cup victory over Gillingham shortly before Christmas.

He has won two of his first four league games in charge – valuable victories against fellow strugglers Everton and West Ham – as well as taking a point at Aston Villa, where Wolves led for more than an hour, and losing 1-0 at home to rampant Manchester United on New Year's Eve.

That game was settled by a 76th-minute goal from Marcus Rashford and Liverpool may also struggle to break down their improving hosts.

Neither side wanted a replay so Klopp and Lopetegui have plenty of selection issues to ponder. The Liverpool boss often seems to be tormented by the concept of fixture congestion, especially when his side are not winning, and Saturday's league clash with Chelsea is looming large for the Reds.

Wolves also had a gruelling midweek assignment last week, losing on penalties to Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup, although they responded well to beat West Ham in a lively contest on Saturday.

After scoring just eight times in 15 league matches under former boss Bruno Lage this season, Wolves are looking more threatening in attack.

They had 17 attempts at goal against the Hammers, having won the shots-on-target battle 5-2 at Forest and 5-3 at Anfield, and Liverpool's goalkeeper and defenders have been in a generous mood recently so they look uneasy favourites to progress at Molineux.