Summary of the Chelsea vs. Wolverhampton match
Two teams bidding for a first Premier League win of 2025 meet at Stamford Bridge on Monday, when Wolves coach Vitor Pereira wants the visitors to improve their decision-making in attack after successive 3-0 Premier League defeats at Newcastle and at home to Nottingham. forest.
“It's the last round, the pass, the shot,” Pereira explained, after analyzing the knockout at St James' Park last Wednesday in which Wolves had more attempts on target than New South Wales.
“(It's) the shooting angle, the positions we have to appear in. When (the players) have the ball and they go to the goal line, they have to know that in all those positions, there will be someone to score. And that's something we need to improve together.”
The Portuguese, who has scored seven goals and seven points in his first three games after succeeding Gary O'Neill on December 19, noted that Chelsea were a “league-winning team” before their current five-match winless run, which continued with a 2-2 draw at Home to Bournemouth six days ago.
Monday Night Football in DC. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/urcKvWx7Mn
– Wolves (@wolves) January 18, 2025
Cole Palmer, the Blues' top scorer, scored in the first 17 minutes for the third time in four league games, but only a brilliant free-kick from Reece James in the 95th minute saved Chelsea from defeat.
“He could be more important,” manager Enzo Maresca said of the former England player, adding that James “could be ready” for Wolves as the captain continues his return from a hamstring injury.
“We know how good he is. It's not about whether he scores goals or how many minutes, it's about managing his situation. What we don't want is to come back with an injury again.”
A win would put Chelsea in fourth place, one point behind Manchester City and Newcastle. Wolves start above third-placed Ipswich Town on goal difference and four points behind fifth-placed Everton.
Prepare for wolves. 👊 pic.twitter.com/uL7KvkdoO6
– Chelsea (@ChelseaFC) January 18, 2025
Chelsea vs Wolverhampton team news
Palmer He is the fourth highest scorer in the Premier League after scoring 14 times this season, so Maresca is hopeful that the England international will recover from a problem that prevented him from training on Friday.
Defender Levi Colwell and midfielders Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandes are also doubtful after missing the session. Wesley Fofana could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, and fellow centre-back Benoit Badiashile will not return from a thigh problem until next month.
Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall remains out with injury Mykhaylo Modric The failed doping test remains under investigation by the Football Association, barring the winger from featuring.
Central defender Trevo Chalupa could feature after being recalled from his loan at Crystal Palace, and winger Pedro Neto – signed from Wolves for £51.3m in August – could replace Noni Madueke after recovering from illness.
Busy week at Cobham Training Centre! 📍 pic.twitter.com/b2zcpHZUfW
– Chelsea (@ChelseaFC) January 18, 2025
“They compete with each other and help us,” Maresca said of the duo, describing Neto’s influence as “fantastic” since his arrival. “If one player plays from the start and another plays for 10 minutes, we want to have the same intensity in both.
“I try to explain to them that the decision varies from one match to another. What we need from them is to win matches, score and provide assists.”
Wolves striker Matheus Cunha has 10 league goals and four assists, making the Brazilian's absence from training with flu-like symptoms a major concern for Pereira.
He added: “He is a little sick, but I hope he will be on the field.” Pereira saidgiving an insight into the chats he shared with the 25-year-old about his work defensively and out of possession.
Latest edition of #Shiol 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/Lkj0qrCVLR
– Wolves (@wolves) January 19, 2025
“He can create magic in the moment and create something special… but he has to be committed in every moment, every moment of the match.
“If we lose the ball, he has to give the first example to others that he runs to get the ball again… This is the behavior and character of great players. This is what I ask of him.”
Among Pereira's defenders, Yerson Mosquera will miss the rest of the season and it will be too early for Totti Gomez.
Midfielder Boubacar Traoré and striker Sasa Kalajidzic are recovering from serious injuries, as is winger Enso Gonzalez.
Konya's hat-trick on our recent visit to Stamford Bridge ✨
⏪ #Shiol | @MNEGlobal pic.twitter.com/RJuRfkSKM7
– Wolves (@wolves) January 19, 2025
Expected lineup for Chelsea's match against Wolverhampton
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalupa, Colwell, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Wolves: in; Doherty, Bueno, Agbado; Semedo, Andre, Gomez, Ait Nouri; Guedes, Konya; Larsen Beach
How to watch Chelsea Wolves: TV, live stream
The match will kick off at 20:00 UK time, with live Sky Sports Premier League, Main Event and Ultra coverage starting at 18:30.
Fans wanting to listen online can use the Sky GO app on a wide variety of devices.
Noni completes the hat-trick against Wolverhampton. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DVyoxlaRK9
– Chelsea (@ChelseaFC) January 19, 2025
Statistics
- in 11 of the last 13 Chelsea's total goals in their home matches was more than 2.5
- in 9 of the last 11 In Chelsea's home matches in the Premier League, the goal total has been less than 3.5
- in last 4 In Chelsea's home matches in the Premier League, the total goals have been more than 2.5
- in 5 of the last 6 Chelsea's matches in the English Premier League had a total of less than 3.5 goals
- in 3 of the last 4 Chelsea's home matches have had a total of more than 3.5 goals
- in last 10 Wolverhampton away from home, the total goals were more than 2.5
- in 17 of the last 19 Wolverhampton matches had a total of more than 2.5 goals
- in 15 of the last 17 Wolverhampton's matches in the English Premier League had a total of more than 2.5 goals
- in last 8 Wolverhampton away in the Premier League, the total goals were more than 2.5
- in 6 of the last 8 Wolverhampton away in the Premier League, the total goals were more than 3.5
prediction
There have been at least three goals in five of the last six editions of this fixture, including a 4-2 away win for Wolves on February 4 and one goal. Chelsea win 6-2 away on August 25 This was their first under Maresca.
The level of involvement of either scorer has particular potential to decide this match: unsurprisingly, Palmer scored one goal and provided three assists in that match, while Cunha, who scored a hat-trick after Palmer's opener in the previous encounter, briefly drew Wolves level at Molineux. .
Palmer vs. Wolves. 🐺 pic.twitter.com/RowlRecQsm
– Chelsea (@ChelseaFC) January 19, 2025
Cunha scored one goal and assisted another in the 2-0 win over Manchester United when he last completed more than 45 minutes, and Palmer started all of Chelsea's league matches, including six assists.
Regardless of the spells, goals have not been an issue for these teams. Only Tottenham have outscored Wolves among the bottom nine teams, while Chelsea have scored more goals than anyone else apart from Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
The problem, then, lies at the other end: Chelsea's only clean sheet in their last seven league games was against an Everton side known for their lack of threat, and Wolves have scored nine goals in their last four games in all competitions.
With a tough match against City looming on Saturday (5:30pm GMT), it becomes imperative for Chelsea to win the league for the first time since December 15 – perhaps with a 3-1 win.
