Facing a true test of their defensive mettle, Wolverhampton Wanderers welcome Liverpool to Molineux for Saturday afternoon's Premier League battle.

Bruno Lage's side could not find a way past Burnley in midweek, whereas the Reds comfortably saw off Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Match preview

In trademark Adama Traore fashion, the tricky winger did everything right apart from the finish on Wednesday evening, as Wolves were forced to settle for a point in their affair with Sean Dyche's Burnley.

The Spanish winger saw his thunderbolt of an effort cannon back out off the crossbar, while Hwang Hee-chan also went close on the night, but Wolves were ultimately left frustrated as their momentum took yet another hit.

Having now played out two goalless stalemates in succession following a previous draw with Norwich City, this weekend's hosts still find themselves sixth in the rankings, but Arsenal could move five points clear in fifth with victory against Manchester United on Thursday.

With only one victory to boast from their last four in the Premier League, the Lage revolution has lost a bit of momentum in recent weeks, but three consecutive clean sheets in the top flight is nothing to be sniffed at.

Wolves have also taken 10 points from their last four games at Molineux and have conceded just two goals in that stretch, but five strikes at the correct end of the pitch is the joint-worst tally in the league alongside Norwich City.

Rafael Benitez's worst fears came true after just 20 minutes of his reunion with Liverpool at Goodison Park, as home fans already began to head for the exits after witnessing Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah's smart finishes put Liverpool two goals to the good.

Demarai Gray's strike before half time did threaten a sensational comeback, but Salah robbed Seamus Coleman to race away and give his side a two-goal cushion before Diogo Jota's rifled effort from a tight angle capped off a dominant Reds display.

Shattering records for fun this season, Jurgen Klopp's side scored at least two goals for the 18th game in a row across all competitions on Wednesday - surpassing the record first set by Sunderland back in 1927 - and they remain in third place in the table as a result.

It is now four victories on the bounce for Liverpool heading into Saturday's contest, and they have not failed to score two goals away from home since being held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United back in April, which certainly spells trouble for a resolute Wolves backline.

Liverpool prevailed 1-0 at Molineux last season in a game that was largely overshadowed by a concerning injury to Rui Patricio, and Klopp's side have won all six league encounters with Wolves since the hosts' return to the big time in 2018 - conceding just one goal in that time.

Team News

Wolves will be boosted by the return of Ruben Neves from suspension for Saturday's game, but it remains to be seen if Daniel Podence will return from coronavirus in time to feature.

The home treatment room remains well-occupied with Willy Boly, Jonny, Hugo Bueno, Yerson Mosquera and Pedro Neto all out of contention, and Fernando Marcal is also COVID-19 positive.

Leander Dendoncker could drop out to make room for the returning Neves, and Lage could opt to keep Francisco Trincao in reserve in order to maximise Traore's explosive potential against Andy Robertson.

As for Liverpool, Naby Keita and Joe Gomez are both set to return to training from injuries next week, but this game will come too soon for the pair.

Roberto Firmino, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones will be sidelined for a little while longer, and Klopp may resist the urge to rotate given that his side face an inconsequential Champions League clash with AC Milan in midweek.

The injury-prone Thiago Alcantara has played a lot of football recently, though, so either James Milner or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could provide fresh legs in the engine room.

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Kilman, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Ait-Nouri; Traore, Jimenez, Hwang

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Mane

We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Liverpool

Wolves have not become renowned for enthralling goal-fests in recent weeks, but their hopes of ending Liverpool's two-goals-per-game streak are slim to none here.

Tired legs may come into play for both sides, but we still expect the ruthless Reds to extend their winning streak versus Wolves, with another clean sheet to boot.

Previews by email