Wolves v Liverpool – Benitez wanted by Juventus

After picking up a vitally important win against Spurs in their last league outing, Liverpool will look to capitalise on that by beating Wolves. Despite not dominating the match by any stretch of the imagination at Anfield, Liverpool got an early lead through a Dirk Kuyt goal, and then it was a matter of keeping out the more inventive, more flowing attacking prowess of Tottenham. Liverpool had more possession, but Spurs worked better with what they had, except where it matter, right in front of goal. The victory was sealed with a late penalty by Kuyt to seal three points, which are crucial in the race for fourth place. That win put Liverpool just one point behind Spurs who are currently fourth. It is not as all clear cut at it sounds though, as Aston Villa and Manchester City who have games in hand over both Spurs and Liverpool will play a major factor in that final Champions League spot. It is odd how things fall into perspective, as Liverpool are deemed to be having a woeful season, whereas Tottenham, Man City and Aston Villa are all having great ones, yet only two points separate them all.

Playing a lowly Wolves, who are hovering just above the drop zone, should provide another three points for Rafa Benitez. After all the speculation of how much longer he would be able to hang onto his job at Anfield, there are new rumours flying around about his position. Only now, as far as Rafa must be concerned, it is flattering rumours that he is being head-hunted by Italian giants Juventus. That would certainly offer a way out of the struggles of this season at Anfield for the Spaniard, without having been given an acrimonious boot. An unthinkable defeat against Wolves may tip if his hand if the rumours are to be believed.

*Update: Benitez’s Agent has stated that Rafa is not going anywhere, and is tied to a deal which could keep him in the hotseat at Anfield until 2014. Apparently there has been no official contact from Juve.

The Reds have been trying to sign Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland, as they look for a quality striker to replace the absent Fernando Torres who is missing through injury. There is a lot of bad press flying around between the two clubs, and any deal is looking highly unlikely at this stage. Wolves, who have an FA Cup replay to contend with against Crystal Palace, badly need a win to ease some pressure surrounding the worries of relegation. Having lost their last three league matches, they are sliding badly and need to stop the rot. Scoring goals would certainly help that situation, as they have only managed two league goals in their last five matches.

Wolves are the league’s lowest scorers at home, tied with Birmingham on nine goals each. Wolves have only managed 8 goals away from home as well, which won’t instil a lot of confidence in their fans that they can go out and turn over Liverpool. If they could, it would be a huge boost in confidence for them. The two sides met just after Christmas at Anfield, where Liverpool were fairly comfortable 2-0 winners, and while the Reds aren’t full of goals themselves, and missing two main sources of goals in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, they should have the edge again on Tuesday night, by way of the fact they aren’t anywhere near as leaky at the back as Wolves.

Update: There is a chance that Gerrard could return to action against Wolves. Gerrard’s hamstring was expected to keep him out longer, but after training on the weekend, he could put in an appearance.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
Liverpool 2, Wolves 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Wolves – 2 For, 10 Against
Liverpool – 5 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Wolves – W3, D0, L7
Liverpool – W5, D3, L2

Match Prices:
Wolves to win: 5/1 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Liverpool to win: 8/11 at Totesport

Betting Advice: Unlikely to be anything other than a Liverpool win. They may not have been great this season, but wins against Villa and Spurs recently have shown that it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s hope, and if they can get through this period without Torres and Gerrard, they should be all the stronger for it.
Wolves +0.75 Asian Handicap – Evens at Bet365