Wolves travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their final Premier League game aiming to pull off an upset in Jurgen Klopp’s last game in charge.
Wolves made a promising start to their Premier League campaign and against the odds, Gary O’Neil had the Old Gold challenging for Europe midway through.
Fast forward to the present day and the Wanderers season has petered out, claiming one win – a 2-1 victory over Luton Town – from their last nine matches.
A plethora of injuries to key first-team players have played a massive part, but Wolves have felt the effects of a long, arduous season and they just want it to draw to a close now.
Unfortunately, their fortunes don’t sound as prosperous in the summer, with O’Neil revealing the club may have to sell some of their best players to invest in the playing squad.
Finding himself in a similar position to the one that saw Julen Lopetegui walk out of Molineux is far from ideal, but he’d love to end it on a high by beating Liverpool.
Chris Sutton predicts Liverpool vs Wolves
A party atmosphere is expected at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp takes charge of his final match in the Liverpool dugout.
The German tactician has driven the Reds towards unprecedented success during his nine-year stint on Merseyside with two Carabao Cups, an FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League title to his name.
Most who have watched the Premier League during his time in charge want him to end his time at the club with a victory, but Wolves will arrive at Anfield looking to spoil the party.
The odds are stacked against the visitors, and Chris Sutton doesn’t think they stand any chance of doing so given their recent slump in form.
Predicting a 4-0 scoreline, he wrote (BBC Sport): “I can only see one outcome here. Mohamed Salah to score, Liverpool to go out with a bang under Jurgen Klopp, and send him off with a smile.
“Wolves are not in great form, with only one win – and seven defeats – from their past 10 matches, and they have not been good enough as of late.”
“They were the club who triggered the vote over the future of video assistant referees (VAR) this summer, and they have been wronged by it this season, but Gary O’Neil needs to focus on their performances rather than decisions that are out of their control.”
Wolves can go out with a bang
Klopp is a legendary manager in the Premier League and many would be heartbroken to see his tenure end in a defeat.
That is where O’Neil’s men can play their part, as while claiming an unlikely victory at Anfield doesn’t create history, beating the iconic Liverpool boss in his final game in charge would be remembered forever.
Just like Steven Gerrard in 2015, who capped off his Reds career with a 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace on Merseyside, Wolves will be desperate to inflict similar pain against the Reds.
And although Anfield isn’t the easiest place to go at the best of times and the atmosphere from the hosts will be electric, the visitors must put in a performance that O’Neil will be proud of.
In recent weeks, despite VAR going against them at times, the players haven’t turned up and that is a big concern. All will be forgiven, though, if the players can conjure up an ounce of energy and quality to beat Liverpool this Sunday.