Chelsea travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday evening as they seek to recover from their shock weekend defeat.
The Blues had been embracing a purple patch of form, but were given an almighty reality check by newly-promoted Sunderland on Saturday afternoon. Chelsea underwhelmed on home soil against the Black Cats, eventually succumbing to defeat via Chemsdine Talbi’s stoppage-time strike.
The result brought Chelsea’s four-match winning streak to a close and saw them sink to ninth in the Premier League table, but they can return to winning ways in the cup when they visit struggling Wolves in the first of two meetings between the teams before the November international break.
The Carabao Cup has brought the only wins of Wolves’ season to date as pressure mounts on Vítor Pereira, who angrily confronted fans at Molineux over the weekend. Their last-gasp defeat at home to Burnley on Sunday marked a new low in the Portuguese manager’s reign, with just two points accumulated from nine league games this term.
Pereira has lost his only previous meeting with Chelsea, but Wolves have a relatively strong recent record against the Blues. While they conceded nine across two defeats last season, they have won three of their last five clashes with the west London giants. They desperately need another positive result on Wednesday night.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the clash.
What Time Does Wolves vs. Chelsea Kick-Off?
- Location: Wolverhampton, England
- Stadium: Molineux
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 29
- Kick-Off Time: 7.45 p.m. BST / 3.45 p.m. ET / 12.45 p.m. PT
- Referee: Thomas Bramall
Wolves vs. Chelsea Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Wolves: 3 wins
- Chelsea: 2 wins
- Draws: 0
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Wolves vs. Chelsea on TV
Wolves Team News
Fortunately for the under-fire Pereira, injuries are few and far between in the Wolves squad. Youngster Leon Chiwome is their only absentee at present and a strong starting lineup will be fielded against the Blues.
Star striker Jørgen Strand Larsen will be tasked with unnerving the Chelsea defence and will lead the line having scored twice in the Carabao Cup already this season. He needs greater support from the likes of Jhon Arias and Hwang Hee-chan in the forward line.
Brazilian compatriots André and João Gomes should feature in midfield, but Pereira might be tempted to start with a back five midweek to help solidify their leaky defence.
Wolves Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea
Wolves predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (3-4-3): Johnstone; S. Bueno, Krejčí, Agbadou; Tchatchoua, André, J. Gomes, Møller Wolfe; Arias, Strand Larsen, Hwang.
Chelsea Team News
Enzo Maresca will rotate his side for the fourth round and welcomes Liam Delap back into the fold after several months out of action. The Chelsea boss confirmed his summer recruit could make his comeback against Wolves, but will not be able to play the entire match.
Chelsea will continue to make do without the injured Cole Palmer, Benoît Badiashile, Dário Essugo and Levi Colwill, while Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended after failing a drugs test. In better news, Malo Gusto is available again after his one-match ban.
Maresca has hinted at resting João Pedro, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo for the clash with Wolves, insisting he will call upon his squad players for the clash.
Andrey Santos, Jorrel Hato, Roméo Lavia, Jamie Gittens and Filip Jörgensen are among those set to be handed chances.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Wolves
Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Wolves (4-2-3-1): Jörgensen; Gusto, Fofana, Adarabioyo, Hato; Santos, Lavia; Estêvao, Buonanotte Gittens; Delap.
Wolves vs. Chelsea Score Prediction
Chelsea suffered a setback at the weekend and have been inconsistent this season, but they should still have enough firepower to overcome Wolves. Maresca has endless options across his squad, even with current injuries, and the side he names on Wednesday will be fresh and raring to impress against the Old Gold.
Wolves have been scoring goals despite their terrible form and will fancy their chances of unlocking a much-changed Chelsea defence. However, their own issues at the back will likely cost them again at Molineux.
Prediction: Wolves 1–2 Chelsea
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wolves vs. Chelsea: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.