Three games without a win, Liverpool will be looking to get their season back on track when they face Wolves in an FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday night.
Liverpool produced a poor performance against Brighton & Hove Albion in their last outing, losing 3-0 at the Amex Stadium in a concerning manner. Jurgen Klopp's side looked toothless going forward and fragile at the back and they will have to show a response this evening.
The Reds drew 2-2 with Wolves at Anfield in the initial FA Cup third-round tie but they will be hoping to get the job done at Molineux. So will they do that and secure their spot in the fourth round? We simulated the tie to find out.
Wolves vs Liverpool score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Wolves could set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Sa; Lembikisa, Collins, Toti, Jonny; Traore, Neves, Nunes, Ait-Nouri; Hee-Chan, Guedes.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Konate, Tsimikas; Bajetic, Keita, Milner; Doak, Salah, Gakpo.
It wasn't the best start from the Reds at Molineux, but it was an improvement on the clash with Brighton as they controlled possession without creating any major chances. But, one minute into added time at the end of the half, Mohamed Salah opening the scoring with a well-taken goal.
As Liverpool camped outside the Wolves box, Kostas Tsimikas played a one-two with Cody Gakpo to reach the byline. The defender faked a cross, instead returning the ball to the Dutchman who, unmarked in the box, slid a pass into the path of Salah, and the Egyptian shot first time, lifting the ball over the diving goalkeeper to find the top corner.
With a goal lead, the Reds came out much-improved in the second half, and 58 minutes in they were 3-0 up thanks to some brilliant work between the Liverpool front three. Gakpo made it 2-0 four minutes after the restart with a fantastic diving header at the back post to turn Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross into the net.
Rising star Doak was a threat down the right as he constantly looked to take on his man, and a moment of great composure saw the youngster thread a fantastic through ball to Salah, who held off his marker before firing in at the near post.
Wolves pulled a goal back three minutes later when Jonny smashed home a rebound from a corner. It set up a tense 20 minutes that saw Alisson called into action on multiple occasions. But Salah confirmed the victory for Liverpool in the 89th minute when he grabbed his hat-trick, curling the ball around Jose Sa in a one-on-one situation to make it 4-1.
And in the 94th minute, Doak and Gakpo combined to grab a fifth. Wolves were dispossessed deep in the Liverpool half, and Alexander-Arnold found Doak sprinting forward on the right. The Scot surged forward before crossing the ball to Gakpo at the near post, and a powerful first-time strike sent the ball past Sa to top off a fantastic performance.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Wolves 1-5 Liverpool
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that Liverpool will rediscover their top form against Wolves, winning 5-1 in the simulation, with Salah netting three and Gakpo grabbed his first goals in a Red shirt. Doak also impressed.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments.
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