Wolves vs Chelsea Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
This coming weekend marks the return of the Premier League following the international break, with Wolves and Chelsea set to face one another in what promises to be an intriguing contest.
Whilst Wolves have come through qualifying to make it to the group stages of the Europa League, they are still searching for their first league win of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, having drawn three of their opening four games.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard's Chelsea have endured a frustrating start to the season, showing glimpses of their youthful potential, yet only picking up one win so far.
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Here is 90min's preview for Saturday afternoon's match.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 14 September |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 15:00 (BST) |
Where Is It Played? | Molineux, Wolverhampton |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | BBC Final Score/BT Sport Score (UK) |
Referee? | Graham Scott |
Where to Buy Tickets
Tickets for the game are, as ever, available on both teams' official club websites, though membership is required in order to purchase. In terms of resale, both teams provide the option to make season tickets available for others to use, if a supporter is unable to attend the game themselves.
Team News
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Despite having a busy fixture list during the opening weeks of the season due to their Europa League commitments, Wolves have been fortunate with injuries to date.
However, they did suffer a setback just before the international break with wing back Matt Doherty suffering a knee injury which requires surgery. That has ruled him out of this game, and he now looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Chelsea have not been so lucky. Their fortune looks set to change though, with manager confirming before the international break that long-term absentees Antonio Rudiger and Callum Hudson-Odoi are targeting returns in the near future. Rudiger in particular looks to be in contention to make his comeback this weekend having not played since April.
Lampard has also had to cope without N'Golo Kante and Pedro for the last two games, but he hopes to have them back for this trip to the Midlands.
Over the international break, left back Emerson Palmieri was forced off inside the opening ten minutes for Italy against Finland. The 25-year-old eased fears after the game though, insisting that it was not a serious issue.
Predicted Lineups
Wolves | Patricio; Boly, Coady, Bennett; Traore, Moutinho, Dendoncker, Neves, Otto; Jimenez, Jota |
Chelsea | Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Pedro, Pulisic, Abraham |
Head to Head Record
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This will be the 108th meeting between the two sides, with Chelsea holding the edge in the head-to-head record with 41 wins to Wolves' 39.
However, it was Wolves who got the better of the west London club last season, winning 2-1 at home thanks to goals from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota, before earning a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Prior to those two meetings, Chelsea had won ten of the previous 11 games between the clubs, an impressive record that dated back to 1994.
Recent Form
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Wolves had a hugely impressive campaign in 2018/19, finishing 7th in their first season back in the top-flight. Yet they have made a stuttering start to this season, failing to win any of their opening four league games, and not keeping a clean sheet since the opening day.
Many expected Chelsea to take time to gel under new manager Lampard, and that has proven to be the case. Only Norwich have conceded more goals than them so far this season, which will be a concern for supporters as they look for their team to build on the third-place finish that they achieved under Maurizio Sarri.
Here is a look at how the two sides have fared in their last five games.
Wolves | Chelsea |
Everton 3-2 Wolves (1/9) | Chelsea 2-2 Sheffield United (31/8) |
Wolves 2-1 Torino (29/8) | Norwich 2-3 Chelsea (24/8) |
Wolves 1-1 Burnley (25/8) | Chelsea 1-1 Leicester (18/8) |
Torino 2-3 Wolves (22/8) | Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea (14/8) |
Wolves 1-1 Manchester United (19/8) | Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea (11/8) |
Prediction
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A difficult one to call with both teams looking to kick-start their seasons. The international break appeared to come at a good time for Wolves though, with the team looking a little jaded having had to play so regularly in the early stages of the season.
Their ability to cause problems on the counter-attack will likely expose Chelsea's fragile defence, meaning that they are just able to nick all three points this weekend.
Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Chelsea
