Chelsea and Wolves will both look to return to winning ways when they square up against each other at the Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea are all set to host Wolves in search of their 10th win of the ongoing season. Both teams have been inconsistent in the ongoing season and are currently mid-table. They could still get things back on track if they manage to put together a run of positive results.
The Blues are tenth on the points table. They have accumulated 31 points out of their 22 matches. After a below-par campaign last time out, things have improved a touch at the WestLondon club, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Chelsea are heading into this one on the back of a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool. The Reds dominated their opposition and got the desired result. While the Blues will be heading into this fixture hoping for all three points, they will to put up a much better performance than they did last time out to stand a chance of a win.
Meanwhile, Wolves are just one place behind Chelsea on the points table. They are 11th with 29 points out of their 22 matches thanks to eight wins and five draws. They last won a league game back in December and will have to be at their best to come out on top against the Blues.
The visitors are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Manchester United. Wolves did give it their best but unfortunately, they ended up on the losing side because of an injury-time winner by Kobbie Mainoo. A similar performance could yield better results this time out.
It is expected to be a hard-fought encounter between two teams who have been in similar form. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
The home team are in a bit of an injury crisis and they will be without the services of Levi Colwill, Lesley Ugochukwu, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah for this fixture.
They do have a boost as Nicolas Jackson is back from international duty, and he is available for this outing. Pochettino is expected to make quite a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing because of the hammering that they took.
The Blues are expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Djordje Petrovic will be in goal. Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto will be the two full-backs for them. They will look to help the centre-back pairing for Thiago Silva and Benoît Badiashile keep a clean sheet in this outing.
In the centre of the park, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez will form the double pivot. The two defensive midfielders will look to shield the back line and ensure they have a solid base to attack from.
Former Manchester City winger Cole Palmer will feature on the right flank, while Raheem Sterling will start on the left. Christopher Nkunku will be the attacking midfielder behind Nicolas Jackson, who will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Gusto; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Nkunku, Sterling; Jackson
Wolves
The visitors do not have any injuries to worry about but they will still be without the services of Boubacar Traore and Hwang Hee-chan who are out on international duty.
Wolves might have the majority of their players available but their manager still needs to assess the fitness levels of his players before making a decision on the playing XI against Chelsea as they will be playing their second match in a matter of days.
Wolves will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Jose Sa will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Max Kilman, Craig Dawson and Toti Gomes. The trio will look to keep a clean sheet, and they will receive support from the wing-backs Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes will be the two central midfielders. They will look to control the tempo of the game for Wolves and ensure Chelsea do not dictate the proceedings.
Pablo Sarabia and Pedro Neto will start just in behind their striker. They will have the freedom to drift wide as well as cut inside; the duo will be the creators in chief and they will look to provide Matheus Cunha with enough opportunities to find the back of the net.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Toti; Semedo, Lemina, Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Sarabia, Neto; Cunha
Key Stats
- Chelsea have won each of their last four league games at Stamford Bridge, their best run since July 2020.
- Wolves average a point a game away from home this season.
- Both Chelsea and Wolves have won three out of their last five league games.
- The visitors have lost four out of their last six away games.
- Both teams have lost their last league outing heading into this one.
Player to Watch
Cole Palmer
Palmer has been in sensational form since joining Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer. While the Blues have been inconsistent, the 21-year-old has been one of their best players.
In his 25 appearances for the London club’s first team, he has found the back of the net on 11 occasions and has also bagged seven assists. Pochettino will hope, he once again stands up and delivers for them as they seek their 10th win.
Prediction
Chelsea 3-2 Wolves
Expect a high-scoring encounter when Wolves square up against Chelsea away from home given the recent form of the two teams. Both teams have won three out of their last five games and are heading into this one on the back of defeat.
The Blues will be desperate to return to winning ways having suffered a hammering at the hands of Liverpool. While there is not much to separate the two teams, the quality of Chelsea’s players suggests they might just come out on top here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-2 win for the home team.