Wolves preparations for the visit of Liverpool have been disrupted by illness within the squad, manager Gary O’Neil has confirmed.
The 41-year-old’s side currently sit at the foot of the Premier League table with just a solitary point to their name after five matches.
Still searching for their first win, Wolves host an in-form Reds, who have won all three of their away games this evening – on Saturday evening.
In the lead-up to the clash, several first-team players have been struck by a bout of sickness with many stars forced to miss training on Friday.
Speaking to the press, O’Neil said: ‘There’s quite a bit of illness actually. A few will need a check tomorrow on how they’re feeling – we just had a little bit of a virus going around.
Gary O’Neil has revealed that his Wolves squad has been hit by a mass sickness outbreak
Several stars missed training on Friday but O’Neil did not let slip which players were absent
The Premier League’s bottom side host second-placed Liverpool at Molineux on Saturday
‘Quite a few missed training today so we’ll see how we are tomorrow. We have a few issues but looking forward to getting out there and make it as difficult as possible for Liverpool.
‘Some lads will struggle for tomorrow but that’s not a definite, sometimes these things can clear up in 24 hours.
‘We are hopeful that the guys with the virus will be fine and 100 per cent available for tomorrow. But as the doctor told me, it’s hard to give a definitive answer.’
It will be the first time Wolves have faced a Liverpool side not led by Jurgen Klopp since January 2012, with Arne Slot now in charge at the Merseyside club.
The Dutchman has won four of his first five Premier League matches with the 19-time top-flight champions and O’Neil has been impressed by his opposite numbers start.
‘He’s excellent, no surprise he’s started well,’ the Wolves boss added. ‘There’s no real mess to fix, he’s gone into a well-run club with a good squad and he’s a good coach, so no shock it’s been a good start.
‘I expect them to have a good season, but tomorrow we do everything we can to disrupt that. We managed to find a way last season and that’s what we’ll look to do tomorrow.’
Wolves have the joint-worst defensive record in the league this season, conceding 14 goals
Wolves’ O’Neil is not surprised that Arne Slot has started his tenure at Liverpool so strongly
O’Neil’s side has the worst joint defensive record in the Premier League, so far this season. They have conceded 14 goals, with six of them coming in a thumping defeat to Chelsea at Molineux.
Compare that to the Reds, who have conceded just once in the league under Slot, while they have found the back of the net 10 times.
Despite the worries about Wolves’ backline, O’Neil believes the numbers do not show a true reflection of how his side have defended this season.
‘When you lose games, it becomes tougher to win them,’ he continued. ‘At Villa they gave everything and we got punished but not through a lack of effort and resilience.
‘Stats-wise we have conceded more goals than we should, not many teams have cut us open.
The Reds have netted 10 times in five league games this season, only conceding a solitary goal
‘We have only expected to concede six or seven goals but have conceded 14. Other seasons should suggest that won’t continue.
‘The last three goals we have conceded which have changed games have been deflected – we need to keep working, tighten up and change those fine margins.’