The final match of this midweek round of Premier League fixtures involves Wolves and league leaders Liverpool. This tie is scheduled for Thursday 23 January and carries a 20:00 GMT kick-off slot. Followers can keep pace with the score thanks to the live coverage shown on BT Sport and this will be the fifth and final Premier League live match of the week. Attentions then return to the FA Cup where the Fourth Round will be settled over the course of the weekend.
This promises to be a thriller as two sides with confidence and form to boast go head-to-head. Liverpool has barely put a foot wrong so far this season but in Wolves, they meet a determined, hard-working and ambitious side who won’t be happy simply making up the numbers. Few teams visit the venue and collect an easy three points. The Reds know that won’t be the case for them either, but they have been playing some of the best football we’ve seen in Europe this season.
Home upset or away win? Bookmakers offer a flood of betting markets on the outcome, sending out odds on the match-winner as well as specials, including both teams to score, total goals and handicap. Read on as our team of experts preview the final league match of the week, flagging up the best betting odds before making our tips and predictions.
Wolves Fighting on Two Fronts
It has been another great season for followers of Wolverhampton Wanders so far. The host struggled for form earlier in the campaign as they battled to juggle league fixtures with Europa League commitments. Playing Thursday and Sunday seemed to be a shock to the system for many of their players and Wolves were spotted fighting for position down at the wrong end of the list back in autumn. They were able to adjust, however, and went on a run of form that pushed them back towards the major places in the Premier League and into the knockout stages of the Europa League.
The hosts remain in with an outside chance of working their way into the top four but that is highly unlikely as teams around them in the pecking order have enjoyed better results of late and the gap between themselves and the prize places is widening. Qualification to the Europa League would rate as another great effort from the club and they will want to achieve that by finishing as high up the table as possible while going on a run to the latter stages in Europe. At present, things are rosy in the garden. Will they use that confidence to pull off a remarkable upset win on Thursday?
For as impressive as Wolves have been so far this season, few give them a chance of stopping the Liverpool express. The home time will set up to be competitive and try to frustrate their high-flying opponents. If they can keep the scores low going into the second half, they may just have a chance. Bookmakers don’t see it happening, however, and are confident enough to write Wolves off. The home cheer has been priced up at 11/2 and that’s best price with William Hill, most other firms stuck around the 5/1 mark.
Reds Haven’t Put a Foot Wrong
Liverpool’s form so far this season has been nothing short of remarkable. They are on-course to win the Premier League with plenty to spare, Man City unable to land a glove on them so far. Jurgen Klopp’s boys are speeding towards the finish line. They started the season with a convincing win over Norwich and haven’t looked back, taking an early hold of the division, refusing to let go. An away win for The Reds is expected by just about everyone.
The form of both teams involved here makes it very difficult to make a strong case against Liverpool, or even an argument for Wolves springing a surprise. Klopp’s men haven’t just been winning games, they have been playing exciting football, going on the front foot early, scoring lots of goals and keeping opponents out at the other end. They will finish this season as deserving champions and fans are predicting we could see one of the biggest winning margins in recent years.
Bookmakers signed up to the fan club months ago, pushing Man City’s outright price and slashing the odds on Liverpool to win the crown. They are 4/7 at Ladbrokes to claim another away win on Thursday and that will be popular in accumulators.
