| Wolves vs Chelsea | |
| SCHEDULE | TIME |
| Match: | Wolves and Chelsea |
| Tournament: | Premier League |
| Match Date: | Sat, August 25, 2024 |
| Match Time: | 6:30 PM Indian Time 5:00 PM UAE Time |
| Stadium: | Molineux Stadium |
| Lineup | Wolves |
Wolves XI: Not Published yet
| |
| Lineup | Chelsea |
Chelsea XI: Not Published yet | |
The English Premier League will bring together Wolverhampton Wanderers against Chelsea at Molineux Stadium, Sunday (25/8/2024) at 6:30 PM IST. This match is the ambition of two teams to get their first points in the English Premier League.
It is known that Wolverhampton and Chelsea both suffered defeats in the first week of the Premier League. Wolverhampton had to swallow defeat from the London club, Arsenal 2-0. Meanwhile, Chelsea had to bow down to last season's English Premier League champions, Manchester City with a score of 0-2 at Stamford Bridge
Wolverhampton are currently 19th in the Premier League standings and have no points due to their opening-week defeat to Arsenal. The same thing also happened to Chelsea who are 17th in the standings due to their first-week defeat to City. However, Chelsea won easily with a score of 2-0 against Swiss club Servette in the first leg of the Conference League play-off round
The Blues have a slight edge over Wolves having won 44 of their 117 games. Wolverhampton have won just 43. However, Wolverhampton have won their last three Premier League games against Chelsea.
Chelsea are also winless in their last four away games against Wolverhampton in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Wolves have lost six of their last nine home games in the Premier League, more than any other team in 2024.
Wolves right-back Nelson Samedo is out with a red card at the end of the 2023/24 season. He will serve the second of his three-match ban. He will be replaced by Matt Doherty.
Meanwhile, three Wolves players are out for a long time due to injuries, namely Sasa Kalajdzic, Leon Chiwone, and Enso Gonzalez. Then, Rayan Ait-Nouri came off the field in the final minutes against Arsenal, but the defender is confirmed to be able to appear against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha, as a Wolves player who once scored a hat-trick against Chelsea is expected to be included in the starting line-up IX. Previously, when facing Arsenal, the Brazilian player appeared in the second half.
Enzo Maresca confirmed Cole Palmer, who complained of a hamstring problem against Servette, will be fit for this game. However, if Palmer is out, Pedro Neto could feature against his former side.
Chelsea are said to be able to field the best squad in this match. Only Reece James, who may be the only Blues player who must be absent due to suspension and injury.
Maresca said Chelsea could play aggressively to get many chances to score goals and win.
"It was important for us to win the game and keep a clean sheet. We were able to play aggressively and create a lot of chances. But there were also moments that we should have controlled better," Maresca was quoted as saying on Chelsea's official website.
Chelsea are in a difficult transition and have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks. Maresca has been a fine leader since arriving at Stamford Bridge and this game will test his managerial skills.
Chelsea have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 16 Premier League away games. Chelsea's defensive frailties were exposed by Wolves who have beaten the Blues over the last 18 months.
However, with the spirit of the win over Servette and impressive squad depth allowing the Blues to call on a host of new players, this has put Chelsea in better form.
Meanwhile, Wolverhampton is also in a slump due to many player sales in the transfer market, so Chelsea should be able to win this match.
Wolves vs Chelsea Predicted Lineups
Wolves (4-2-3-1): Jose SS; Nelson Semedo, Yerson Mosquera, Toti Gomes, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes; Jorgen Strand Larsen, Rodrigo Gomes, Matheus Cunha; Hwang Hee-chan. Coach: Gary O'Neil
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Robert Sanchez; Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo; Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku; Nicolas Jackson. Coach: Enzo Maresca