Fans may not be expecting sparks to fly at Anfield on Wednesday night, as two goal-shy teams in Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers renew hostilities for the fourth time this year in the Premier League.

The Reds laboured to a point in a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday, prior to which Julen Lopetegui’s men came away from their meeting with Fulham with a point of their own in a 1-1 stalemate.

Being humiliated 5-2 on their own patch by Real Madrid would no doubt have left Jurgen Klopp’s men shell-shocked, and Liverpool could not shake off the cobwebs when they met Crystal Palace on Saturday, as both sets of supporters left the stadium without getting their money’s worth.

The woodwork may have been rattled three times by Diogo Jota, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Mohamed Salah, but in truth, neither team really looked like scoring in the capital, quickly bringing an end to Liverpool’s Premier League purple patch in which they saw off the threat of Everton and Newcastle United.

The momentum gained from Liverpool’s back-to-back Premier League (PL) wins over Everton and Newcastle seemed short-lived as their disjointed season continued with a lacklustre 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at the weekend. That result means Liverpool have now failed to score in four of their last six PL matches, somewhat hindering their attempts at recovery as they sit in seventh place and nine points adrift of the top four, though they do possess two games in hand.

The Reds have at least coupled those recent poor offensive displays with some improved defensive performances, having kept three consecutive league clean sheets for the first time this season.

That accumulation of shutouts started after their embarrassing 3-0 thumping at the hands of opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers, whom they now face for the fourth time already this year (W1, D1, L1). But with Liverpool losing just one of their last 34 home PL matches (W25, D8), revenge will be firmly on the mind of the Kop.

Wolves themselves seemed to be on the right track after consecutive wins over Liverpool and Southampton alleviated some relegation pressure, only for them to falter by losing 1-0 to Bournemouth before then following that up with a 1-1 draw against Fulham last time out. That leaves Julen Lopetegui’s men just three points above those in the drop zone, although that perhaps isn’t a fair reflection given 14 of their 24 points have come during the Spaniard’s nine PL games in charge.

The men from Molineux now journey to Merseyside with history to make, as they seek their first league double over the Reds since 1950/51. However, Anfield has largely been an unforgiving hunting ground, where Wolves have often been the prey and not the predator, losing 18 of their last 20 league visits (W2).

Players to watch: Liverpool will be looking to Cody Gapko to get them back to winning ways like he did with goals against Everton and Newcastle, which extended his unbeaten streak when scoring for his club to 23 matches (W19, D4). Rúben Neves scored the third goal in the reverse fixture and could now become the first Wolves player to score home and away in the same league season against Liverpool since John Richards in 1972/73.

Hot stat: No PL team has scored less second-half goals this season than Wolves’ seven.

Liverpool Premier League form:

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Liverpool form (all competitions):

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Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

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Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

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Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Bajcetic, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Jota

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Bueno; Neves, Lemina, Nunes; Traore, Jimenez, Sarabia

With Konate potentially returning to a Liverpool backline that is once again proving difficult to break down – for Premier League teams at least – the stage is set for Klopp’s side to revert to type at the Anfield fortress.

The Merseyside giants cannot expect to create a plethora of chances versus a dogged Wolves side, but one moment of magic from their difference-makers could prove telling, and there should be no repeat of the Molineux drubbing inflicted upon them a few weeks ago.