Liverpool Prepare for FA Cup Clash Against Wolves
Arne Slot is expected to field a ‘strong’ Liverpool side in Friday night’s Emirates FA Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This match comes less than 72 hours after a narrow 2-1 defeat to Wolves at Molineux in the Premier League, making it a quick return to the West Midlands for the Reds.
Injury Updates and Potential Return of Florian Wirtz
Encouragingly, Liverpool have reported no fresh injury concerns following Tuesday’s game. There’s also positive news regarding Florian Wirtz, who could feature in the fifth-round tie after being sidelined for the past three matches with a back injury. Slot revealed that Wirtz participated in a partial training session with the team on Thursday.
“He [Wirtz] trained half and half yesterday with the team. What I mean with that is he was a ‘joker’, you say over here I think, so he made the next step in his rehab,” Slot explained. “So, let’s see where he is today and if he then could be available for a few – a few – minutes tomorrow, in the best scenario.”
Squad Rotation and Fatigue Concerns
With a demanding schedule – three games in seven days – Slot acknowledged the need to manage player fatigue. However, he emphasized the importance of fielding a competitive team.
“We have a few [options for rotation], but we don’t have 11, as you know. But we do have a few options,” Slot stated. “I always have options to bring in and players you can bring in, you can also let them start. So we do have a few options. But again, not for the first time this season that three days after a game, we’ve again dropped points. And that is something I’ve seen us doing quite a lot this season. So, we have to be better than we were the last time we played Wolves.”
He added, “We will have a strong line-up tomorrow. But we’re also fully aware of the fact of how many games we are playing. It’s three games in seven days many times for us this season. And now again. So I, we are aware of that as well and sometimes you take that into account in the line-up or in playing time.”
Team News for Both Sides
Liverpool will still be without Stefan Bajcetic, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Alexander Isak, and Giovanni Leoni. A potential suspension looms for Joe Gomez should he receive a yellow card, impacting his availability for the quarter-finals.
Wolves will be without Andre, who is suspended due to accumulated cautions in the competition. However, manager Rob Edwards confirmed a clean bill of health for the rest of his squad. Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone could potentially replace Jose Sa, having featured in previous FA Cup rounds.
Predicted Starting XIs
Wolves (last match): Sa, Tchatchoua, Doherty, S. Bueno, Krejci, Wolfe, A. Gomes, Andre, J. Gomes, Mane, Armstrong.
Liverpool (last match): Alisson, Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Ekitike.
This FA Cup clash promises to be a thrilling encounter as Liverpool seeks to avenge their recent Premier League defeat and advance in the competition. Stay tuned for live updates and analysis!
For more information on the FA Cup, visit the official FA Cup website.
