Can Liverpool maintain their incredible Premier League run? George Pitts previews their Thursday night clash with Wolves at Molineux.
2pt Both teams to score at 10/11
1pt Over 10.5 total corners at 13/10
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
If any team can topple this great Liverpool side, surely it is the only one that has done the double over Man City in the Premier League this season?
You would think so, but football does not always work that way. What we can say from evidence is that Wolves have performed well against the big six in their two seasons in the top flight under Nuno Espirito Santo.
In 2018/19, they collected four points from Man United, four from Arsenal, three from Spurs (and the defeat was a close 3-2 thriller), one from a dominant Man City (at Molineux), none from Liverpool (but an FA Cup win) and another four from Chelsea.
This time around, they have beaten City twice, as mentioned, and drawn with Leicester, Man Utd and Arsenal (and it should have been Spurs but for a late Jan Vertonghen strike).
They had a difficult spell recently losing three of five games in the Premier League but coming from two down to win 3-2 at Southampton on Saturday will have given them a significant confidence boost.
They lost the reverse fixture at Anfield narrowly, a 1-0 scoreline at the end of last month, when Santo's side were unfortunate not to get a point after Pedro Neto's goal was chalked off by VAR for offside - by the thinnest of margins, too.
A worry for them in the second half of this season is most definitely burnout. If the post-Christmas period was not bad enough, this will be Wolves' 42nd game due to their Europa League involvement and, as they currently sit in sixth, it would be no surprise to see them drop off a little.
Regardless, they are a force against the top teams, setting up well and making it hard to break them down while posing the threats to exploit the top sides at the other end.
Liverpool keep on chugging like the machine they are and it is difficult to call where they will next drop points due to their dominant and effective style this term.
Their defence started out poorly though, with clean sheets a rarity and both teams have scored in 13 of their 22 games so far.
Granted, they have kept six successive clean sheets but such a run has to come to an end sooner or later (although when their unbeaten run ends is a different story!).
With this in mind, the price available on both teams to score at a fraction under evens looks worth taking. Even if they fail to get a result, they can at least find the back of the net.
Another fancy is to look at the set piece market. Two sides with plenty of creativity, Wolves average six corners per game in the league this season, as do Liverpool.
With the visitors inevitably due a dominant period of the game (if not most), they could easily rack up the corner count and backing 11 or more in the game - they had 11 alone in the weekend win over Manchester United - looks a great price at 13/10. Between two teams, it is not a big ask.
Score prediction: Wolves 1-2 Liverpool (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Best bets
Wolves full-back Ruben Vinagre will miss the Premier League clash against leaders Liverpool due to a hamstring injury. Willy Boly (fractured leg) is out while Diogo Jota may return after a serious dead leg.
Wolves completed the signing of striker Leonardo Campana on Wednesday but he is not available for the match as he is currently involved in Ecuador's Olympic 2020 qualifying campaign.
Provisional squad: Patricio, Ruddy, Doherty, Coady, Kilman, Jonny, Bennett, Sanderson, Giles, Perry, Dendoncker, Gibbs-White, Saiss, Moutinho, Neves, Jimenez, Campbell, Traore, Neto.
Liverpool midfielder Fabinho came off the bench against Manchester United and could start for the first time since November after recovering from an ankle problem. Dejan Lovren (hamstring) is back in training but remains a major doubt for Jurgen Klopp's side, while midfielders James Milner (hamstring) and Naby Keita (groin) remain out.
Xherdan Shaqiri is also set to miss out with a calf injury but Joel Matip could again feature on the bench after not playing since October due to a knee issue.
Provisional squad: Alisson, Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson, Williams, Matip, Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Minamino, Shaqiri, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Origi.
Odds correct at 1500 GMT (22/01/20)
We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.