Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea will be eager to return to winning ways when they clash at Molineux on Saturday.
Gameweek 25 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Saturday, which will be an action-packed day. The action on Saturday will start with the game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford before continuing with five simultaneous matches, including Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea at Molineux.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have slipped up in recent outings after a five-game unbeaten run that promised an unlikely charge through the Premier League standings. Rob Edwards’s men have lost their last two matches, suffering 2-0 defeats to Manchester City and Bournemouth. So, time is running out for the Black Country outfit to avoid relegation from the top flight.
On the other hand, Liam Rosenior has had a positive effect on Chelsea, with the West London club only facing defeat against Arsenal since the English tactician took over as the new head coach. So, the Blues have bowed out of the EFL Cup after losing both legs of the semi-final, the latest coming earlier this week. However, Rosenior has overseen three successive wins in the Premier League, with Chelsea rising to fifth on the table.
The reverse fixture ended in a 3-0 win for Chelsea, with Mario Gusto, Joao Pedro, and Pedro Neto finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rob Edwards has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be bereft of the services of only one first-team player vs Chelsea on Saturday.
Ladislav Krejci has recovered from an illness to be fit and available to take on Chelsea this weekend. So, Toti Gomes is the only absentee for the home side, with the Portuguese international recovering from a hamstring injury.
Jose Sa is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Yerson Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, and Ladislav Krejci. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Jackson Tchatchoua and Hugo Bueno as the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the three centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, Andre Trindade and Joao Gomes will pair up in the double pivot, with Angel Gomes a backup option on the bench. Finally, Adam Armstrong will lead the line for the home side against Chelsea, with Hwang Hee-chan and Mateus Mane completing the numbers in the offensive third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sa; Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, Andre, Joao Gomes, Hugo Bueno; Hwang, Mane; Armstrong
Chelsea
Like his counterpart in the Wolverhampton Wanderers dugout, Liam Rosenior has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Molineux. The Chelsea head coach will be without half a dozen first-team players on Saturday.
Filip Jorgensen, Reece James, and Pedro Neto face late fitness tests to determine their availability. However, Levi Colwill (knee), Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring), Dario Essugo (thigh), and Jamie Gittens (hamstring) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia continues to build his fitness after spending a long time on the sidelines. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk continues his suspension after failing a doping test several months ago.
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao Willian being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joao Pedro will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro
Key Stats
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have lost their last three Premier League matches vs Chelsea by an aggregate score of 12-3, having won three successive matches against the West London club before this run. The Blues have beaten Wolves 4-3 (EFL Cup) and 3-0 (Premier League) already this term. They last scored three or more goals against an opponent in three games in a season in 2016/17 vs Leicester City. Interestingly, they won the corresponding fixture last season 6-2, although they have not won consecutive Premier League away games against Wolves since their first two visits in September 2003 (5-0) and February 2010 (2-0).
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have failed to score in their last three Premier League, drawing a blank in 13 of 24 games this season (54%). It is the highest ratio of games a team has failed to score in a season since Norwich City in 2021/22 (22/38, 58%).
- Victory on Saturday for Chelsea will see them win four successive Premier League matches, all since Liam Rosenior took over. His predecessor Enzo Maresca only managed one run of four consecutive wins in the top flight across his 57 games, winning five on the bounce in November/December 2024.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored only four goals in their last seven Premier League games at Molineux (W1 D1 L5), scoring three of those from five shots in the first half against West Ham United in January (60% conversion rate). Across their other 13 halves of football in that time, they have scored just once from 59 shots (2% conversion). Meanwhile, Wolves have not netted a second-half strike in their last ten Premier League matches at Molineux. Only three sides have ever had a longer run without a home goal in the second half of a match: Everton twice (13 ending January 1999, 11 ending March 2021), Swansea City (12 ending February 2016) and Huddersfield Town (11 ending December 2018).
- Liam Rosenior is looking to become only the second English manager in Premier League history to win his first four games in charge. Craig Shakespeare won his first five with Leicester City between February and April 2017.
Player to Watch
Joao Pedro
While Mateus Mane, Adam Armstrong, and Cole Palmer were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Joao Pedro as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on Saturday.
The Brazilian international has scored five goals in his last eight Premier League appearances for Chelsea, including a goal in all three under Liam Rosenior thus far. Pedro is the first player to score in a Chelsea manager’s first three games in charge.
Meanwhile, the only player in Premier League history to score in a manager’s first four overall games in the competition was Matt Le Tissier under Alan Ball in January/February 1994. So, it is no wonder that we have picked Pedro as a captaincy candidate in FPL for Gameweek 25.
Prediction
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Chelsea
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been impressive under Rob Edwards. However, unless they embark on a mind-boggling winning run, avoiding relegation from the Premier League is not on the cards for the Black Country outfit. The challenge gets no easier, as they host Chelsea at Molineux on Saturday.
The Blues may have bowed out of the EFL Cup earlier this week, but they have made significant progress since Liam Rosenior took over as the new head coach. So, while the home side will take the game to Chelsea, the visitors’ progress under Rosenior will continue with another victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Chelsea this weekend.
