#1 Up for the cup
The FA Cup has provided some thrilling moments for both Wolves and Liverpool in recent years, with the Reds coming into the match as reigning champions following their victory over Chelsea on penalties in last season’s final. It was the eighth time the team from Merseyside have lifted the famous trophy in their illustrious history, while Wolves last tasted FA Cup success all the way back in 1960.
However, meetings between the two sides in this competition have favoured those in gold and black. Since Wolves lifted the cup 63 years ago, they’ve met the Reds twice in the FA Cup and have won both times. The most recent was in January 2019 when Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves found the back of the net to overcome their opponents at Molineux, but two years previously, then-Championship outfit Wolves headed to Anfield in a fourth round fixture and secured another 2-1 win. Richard Stearman opened the scoring before Andreas Weimann added a second for the visitors.
#2 A chance for minutes
With just three days between Wednesday evening’s Premier League visit to Villa Park and Saturday’s clash with Liverpool, we could see Julen Lopetegui use the fixture as a chance to rotate his pack, especially considering his opponents have had an extra 48 hours to prepare. The Reds last took to the field in their previous top-flight game on Monday evening, which saw Jurgen Klopp’s men fall to Brentford. In his post-match press conference after the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, Lopetegui bemoaned the fixture schedule which has given Liverpool extra time to recover and plan for Saturday’s cup meeting, but the head coach admitted it was a situation that although he’s not happy about, he must accept it.
But with such short turnaround, will the Spaniard turn to those who are fresher having not got minutes into their legs at Villa Park such as Jonny, Goncalo Guedes and Jimenez? There is also question marks over the fitness of Daniel Podence who came off at half-time after his goal against Villa, while Wolves supporters could also see more minutes for new man Matheus Cunha after the Brazilian played for half an hour on his debut.
His first appearance in gold & black 😍 pic.twitter.com/IOSx7JDsGa
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 4, 2023
#3 Live on ITV
For the first time in many a year, a Wolves match will be broadcast live in ITV this weekend. UK broadcast rights for the FA Cup this season are being shared between BBC and ITV and Liverpool vs Wolves have been selected by the latter. Tottenham Hotspur vs Portsmouth will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer. The last time Wolves and Liverpool met in the FA Cup third round – the aforementioned 2-1 win for the hosts at Molineux in 2019 – the match was shown live on the BBC, so Lopetegui’s men will be confident that they can once again get the luck of being on terrestrial TV.
As well as being available to watch on ITV4 from 7.15pm, for those unable to watch on TV, supporters can also stream all the action on ITVX, although viewers will need to sign up for a free account. But for those who prefer their build-up with a gold and black slant, Wolves TV will still be showing their usual pre-match show as Matchday Live Extra also returns on the official Wolves YouTube channel and Twitter account from 7.15pm, before live audio commentary.
#4 Fixtures keep on coming
Wolves’ Saturday/Wednesday/Saturday schedule will be repeated next week as the games continue to come thick and fast for Lopetegui’s side in 2023. After Saturday’s visit to Anfield, Wolves face another road trip in midweek as they take on Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup, before a first game at Molineux this calendar year as the side return for a home Premier League tie with West Ham United. The current fixture list looks like it will ease up towards the end of the month with an away clash with Manchester City the only game in the second half of the month.
However, if Saturday’s match ends in a tie after 90 minutes, the game will go to a replay back at Molineux, the date of which would be unlikely to be scheduled before Wednesday’s Carabao Cup meeting. That is because if Wolves were to make it through, they would face a two-legged semi-final on the weeks commencing 23rd and 30th January. That means the only available date for an FA Cup replay – to ensure it is played before the fourth round slate of games on the weekend of 28th/29th January – will be the week commencing 16th. So Lopetegui and his squad could end up playing nine fixtures in the opening four weeks of the year.
👏 The Moutinho pass
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 5, 2023
✨ The Podence footwork
Last night's goal from our pitchside angle 🎯 pic.twitter.com/z9pxcxZBYi
