Gary O'Neil's team suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat by West Ham United in their recent top-flight match, while the Blues return to league action after progressing to the FA Cup semi-finals. Some Wolves fans, anticipating a closely-fought top-flight clash during their last week's trip to West Ham, were instead treated to the Lucas Paqueta show at the London Stadium.
The brilliant Brazilian became just the second Selecao player to register three assists in one Premier League game, joining Roberto Firmino in that exclusive two-man club. Paqueta set up two first-half goals for Mohammed Kudus and assisted Jarrod Bowen, sealing West Ham's victory.
O'Neil, a former West Ham player, lamented his team's "disastrous decision-making" as they conceded three goals despite holding 56% possession and attempting 14 shots. Wolves' fourth successive away defeat places them in 13th place in the table, but they maintain a 10-point cushion to Luton Town at this point.
Despite their struggles on the road, Wolves remain formidable at Molineux, going unbeaten in their last six Premier League home games, which included victories against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. The hosts are also on a 15-game scoring streak in front of their home fans.
On the other hand, Chelsea, who have opposed the European Super League, progressed to the EFL Cup semi-finals with a win against Newcastle. Mauricio Pochettino, still seeking his first team honor in English football, has Chelsea positioned 10th in the league after a 2-0 win against Sheffield United last weekend. However, the Blues have faced setbacks in their last three away matches against Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Everton.
While Chelsea hasn't lost four consecutive away games since December 2000, they aim to avoid a similar fate at Molineux, where they haven't won since 2019. Frank Lampard's return to Molineux in April resulted in a 1-0 defeat for Chelsea, leaving them winless on Wolves' ground since 2019.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
In his pre-game press conference, O'Neil had some festive news for Wolves supporters, announcing that key playmaker Pedro Neto, who has been sidelined with a thigh injury, has completed a full week of team training. This development suggests that Neto should be available to play a role in Sunday's game, marking his first appearance since October 28.Despite his nearly two-month absence, Neto continues to lead the Premier League in assists with seven, sharing the top spot with Kieran Trippier and Mohamed Salah. Additionally, Jose Sa (shoulder) and Nelson Semedo (illness) are expected to be back in action. On the downside, Joe Hodge is still recovering from a shoulder operation, and Jonny is excluded from the first-team setup until at least the end of January due to a serious training-ground incident.
In contrast, Chelsea is grappling with a slew of injuries, with Reece James (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee), Carney Chukwuemeka (knee), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), Marc Cucurella (ankle), Robert Sanchez (knee), and Ben Chilwell (thigh) all unavailable. Enzo Fernandez, who lasted only 32 minutes in the win over Newcastle, will also miss the upcoming game due to a hernia. Levi Colwill, substituted at half-time due to fatigue, is expected to recover.
The trio of Romeo Lavia (ankle), Lesley Ugochkwu (unspecified), and Noni Madueke (fitness) may be in contention to feature this weekend, having returned to full training this week. Following his debut in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, Christopher Nkunku might make his Premier League debut, but Pochettino could exercise caution and opt not to include him in the starting XI just yet.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:Sa; Kilman, Toti, Dawson; Semedo, Lemina, Gomes, Bellegarde, Ait-Nouri; Cunha, Hwang
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Gusto, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill; Caicedo, Gallagher; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
EXPERT PREDICTION
Wolverhampton 2-1 Chelsea
Despite the confidence boost from Chelsea's recent successes and the added threat of Nkunku, the hosts' concerning performance against West Ham raises questions. Even with Chelsea dealing with midweek fatigue, it's likely that their recent surge in confidence and the potential impact of Nkunku will be sufficient to secure a victory and claim all three points.
