Chelsea – Wolves match preview
Two sides seeking their first Premier League wins of 2025 meet at Stamford Bridge on Monday as Wolves boss Vitor Pereira wants the visitors to improve their attacking decision-making following back-to-back 3-0 top-flight defeats in Newcastle and at home to Nottingham. Forest.
“It’s the last run, pass, shoot,” Pereira explained, having analyzed a thrashing at St James’ Park last Wednesday where Wolves had more attempts on goal than the Magpies.
“(It’s) the angle for the shot, the positions we have to show up. When (players) have the ball and go to the line, (they) have to know that in all those positions, there’s going to be someone there to score. And that’s something we have to improve together.”
The Portuguese, who oversaw seven goals and seven points in his first three games since taking over from Gary O’Neill on December 19, remarked that Chelsea were “a team that was winning the league” ahead of their current five-game winless streak , which continued with a 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth six days ago.
Monday night football in the capital. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/urcKvWx7Mn
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 18, 2025
Blues top scorer Cole Palmer scored in the opening 17 minutes for the third time in four league games, but only a superb 95th-minute foul from Rhys James saved Chelsea from defeat.
“He can be even more important,” manager Enzo Maresca said of the former England wideman, adding that James “could be ready” for Wolves as the captain continues his comeback from a hamstring injury.
“We know how good he is. It’s not about whether he’ll score or how many minutes, it’s about managing his situation. What we don’t want is to go again and have another injury.”
Victory would move Chelsea into fourth, a point above Manchester City and Newcastle. Wolves start above third-placed Ipswich Town on goal difference and four points behind fifth-placed Everton.
Preparing for Wolves. 👊 pic.twitter.com/uL7KvkdoO6
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 18, 2025
Chelsea vs Wolves team news
Pilgrim is the fourth top scorer in the Premier League after 14 times this season, so Maresca will be hoping the England international recovers from a problem that prevented him from training on Friday.
Defender Levi Colwill and midfielders Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez are also doubts after missing the session. Wesley Fofana could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury and fellow centre-back Benoit Badiasil will not return after a thigh problem until next month.
Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall remains out through injury and Mykhailo Mudryk’s The failed drug test remains under investigation by the Football Association, ruling the winger out.
Central defender Trevoh Chalobah could feature after recalling his loan spell at Crystal Palace and winger Pedro Neto – signed from Wolves for an initial £51.3m in August – could replace Nonny Madueke after his recovery from the disease.
A busy week at Cobham Training Centre! 📍 pic.twitter.com/b2zcpHzUfW
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 18, 2025
“They fight with each other and help us,” Maresca said of the pair, calling Neto’s impact “fantastic” since he arrived. “If someone plays from the beginning and someone plays 10 minutes, we want to have the same intensity from both.
“I try to explain to them that from one game to the next, the decision is different … what we need from them is to win games, score and assist.”
Wolves striker Mateusz Kunia has 10 league goals and four assists, making the Brazilian’s absence from training with flu-like symptoms a major concern for Pereira.
He is a little sick, but I hope he is on the field. Pereira saidgiving an insight into the conversations he has shared with the 25-year-old about his work defensively and out of possession.
Its latest version #CHEWOL 🎞️ 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 to all moments, every moment in the game.
“If we lose the ball, he has to set the first example to the others that he runs to get the ball back… that’s the attitude and personality of top players. This is what I demand of him.”
Of Pereira’s defenders, Yerson Mosquera will miss the rest of the season and the game will come too early for Toti Gomes.
Midfielder Boubacar Traore and striker Sasa Kalajdzic are working on their recovery from serious injuries, as is winger Enso Gonzalez.
Cunha hat-trick on our last visit to Stamford Bridge ✨
⏪ #CHEWOL | @MNEGlobal pic.twitter.com/RJuRfkSKM7
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 19, 2025
Chelsea vs Wolves expected lineups
Chelsea: Sanchez? James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho? Jackson
Wolves: At? Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou; Semedo, Andre, Gomes, Ait-Nouri. Guedes, Cunha; Larsen Beach
How to watch Chelsea vs Wolves: TV, live stream
Kick-off is at 20:00 UK time, with live coverage on Sky Sports Premier League, Main Event and Ultra starting at 18:30.
Fans looking to tune in online can use the Sky GO app on a huge variety of devices.
Noni completes the hat-trick against Wolves. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DVyoxlaRK9
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 19, 2025
The statistics
- In 11 of the last 13 Chelsea’s home games the sum of the goals was over 2.5
- In 9 of the last 11 Chelsea’s home games in the Premier League, the total number of goals was under 3.5
- In the last 4 Chelsea’s Premier League home games total goals were over 2.5
- In 5 of the last 6 Chelsea’s Premier League games, aggregate goals were under 3.5
- In 3 of the last 4 Chelsea’s home games the sum of the goals was over 3.5
- In the last 10 Away matches of Wolverhampton the sum of the goals was over 2.5
- In 17 of the last 19 In Wolverhampton’s games the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In 15 of the last 17 Wolverhampton’s Premier League matches total goals were over 2.5
- In the last 8 Wolverhampton’s away games in the Premier League, the total number of goals was over 2.5
- In 6 of the last 8 Wolverhampton’s away games in the Premier League, the total number of goals was over 3.5
Prophecy
At least three goals have been scored in five of the last six editions of this fixture, including a 4-2 home win for Wolves on February 4 and a 6-2 Chelsea away win on August 25th it was their first under Maresca.
The level of participation of any of the top scorers has particular potential to decide this match: as expected, Palmer scored one and set up three goals in that game, with Kunia, who had a hat-trick after his first game Palmer in the previous encounter, briefly drawing Wolves level at Molineux.
Palmer vs. Wolves. 🐺 pic.twitter.com/RowlRecQsm
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 19, 2025
Cunha scored one and set up another in a 2-0 home win over Manchester United when he last played more than 45 minutes, and Palmer has started all of Chelsea’s league games, including six assists.
Talismans aside, goals have not been a problem for these teams. Only Tottenham have outscored Wolves among the bottom nine, while Chelsea have scored more times than anyone other than Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
The problem, then, is at the other end: Chelsea’s only clean sheet in their last seven league games has come against an Everton side renowned for their lack of threat, and Wolves have conceded nine goals in their last four games across all competitions. events.
With a tough game at City coming up on Saturday (5.30pm GMT), Chelsea are desperate to win in the league for the first time since December 15 – perhaps with a 3-1 win.
