Liverpool vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers: Will victory against the "worst Premier League side" ever put Reds in title race?

A win for Liverpool against Wolverhampton Wanderers is not likely to lead to their re-entry into the Premier League's title race, Reds expert David Lynch has admitted.

The festive period continues on Saturday for the Merseysiders, when they welcome Wolves to Anfield, and the home crowd will be expecting a comfortable win.

Wolves have just two points after 17 Premier League matches, and they are level with the 2020-21 Sheffield United team for the worst start in the division's history, though they have a worse goal difference than United had at the same stage.

Lynch insisted a win would do little for Arne Slot's hopes of competing with league-leaders Arsenal, saying that the visitors are not the barometer with which to assess their title credentials, when he told Sports Mole: "You could not ask for a better fixture next.

"A home game against possibly the worst Premier League side of all time, and there's an opportunity to really punish them, because Wolves have been that bad.

"They've got to finish off this run strongly because it will get more tricky the other side of it. If they can finish strongly, they won't be in the title race, but they'll have control of top four, and that's where they need to end up."

Liverpool are currently 10 points behind Arsenal, and while a win would be their third in a row in the league, the Reds will face significantly more difficult tests over the coming weeks that will ultimately indicate whether they can get closer to the Gunners.

Liverpool team news: Will Federico Chiesa start?

Alexander Isak is expected to miss months of action following his leg break against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, Mohamed Salah is away at AFCON and Cody Gakpo's involvement is in serious doubt.

Slot's options in the forward line are limited, and the injuries to the squad have fuelled calls for Federico Chiesa to start.

However, Lynch suggested that Florian Wirtz could play on the left, while Jeremie Frimpong could play on the right of attack, telling Sports Mole: "I like the idea of Wirtz left and Frimpong down that right side - he's a really good option down there.

"It could be Chiesa there as well, who deserves to make starts, and those are Slot's options, and they should be good enough anyway.

"Whether Chiesa starts or Frimpong is given a run, they have to make do with that frontline. It's got to be good enough to beat Wolves because they are just not a very good team at the moment."

There is a chance that teenage winger Rio Ngumoha could be involved, though it remains to be seen if Slot would trust the 17-year-old from the start of a league match.

How much will Liverpool miss Dominik Szoboszlai?

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has been Liverpool's player of the season, excelling regardless of the fact he has been played in a variety of roles and positions.

However, the Hungarian picked up a yellow card against Tottenham and is suspended for Saturday's clash, weakening the Merseysiders considerably.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch was confident that the Reds will be able to get by without Szoboszlai, saying: "What I would say about Szoboszlai's suspension is that it may force Slot to change the shape a little bit.

"If you're doing that, then this is the fixture you would pick for it. Of all the teams that you can afford to experiment against, if you pick a game where Szoboszlai finally gets a rest, this would be the one.

"He absolutely has to miss games at times because he's got a great engine, but there have been serious demands on him in terms of playing time for club and country. I'm almost glad he's had this enforced break."

Szoboszlai has played 2,692 minutes this season for Liverpool and Hungary, while he played 4,309 minutes for both across the entirety of 2024-25, so perhaps a break from the football on the pitch would be beneficial.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Liverpool's match against Wolves