Premier League football returns to Molineux after two months away as Wolves take on Chelsea on Sunday, and wolves.co.uk provides a thorough preview ahead of kick-off.
1 | Roll Call
Wolves will once again be without regular right-back Nelson Semedo as he serves the second of his three-game suspension against Chelsea, meaning Matt Doherty is expected to keep his spot – but summer signing Pedro Lima could force his way into Gary O’Neil’s thinking to make his competitive debut in gold and black. Having returned from injury to come off the bench in the second half at the Emirates last weekend, Matheus Cunha could be handed his first start of the season on Sunday, one of many attacking options the head coach has at his disposal. Chiquinho, Daniel Podence and Pablo Sarabia also impressed off the bench last weekend, while Goncalo Guedes also featured in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time since January 2023, having last appeared in the top flight in a 2-1 Boxing Day win over Everton.
With a squad of more than 30 senior players to choose from for the visit to Molineux on Sunday, picking his best team from the depth of talent is going to be a difficult task for Blues boss Enzo Maresca. He’ll be missing Reece James, Djordje Petrovic and Omari Kellyman to injury, while Raheem Sterling and Trevoh Chalobah have both been told their futures lie elsewhere. Portuguese forward Joao Felix has returned to Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis from Atletico Madrid after previously playing for Chelsea during the second half of the 2022/23 season. He could be in line to make his second debut for the Blues this weekend, while Pedro Neto came off the bench against Manchester City – before starting on Thursday night – and could make his Premier League bow against his former club, having left Molineux just a fortnight ago.
2 | The Stat Pack 2023/24
Goals
- Matheus Cunha | 12
- Cole Palmer | 22
Assists
- Pedro Neto | 11
- Cole Palmer | 11
Biggest win
- Brentford 1-4 Wolves | December 2023
- Chelsea 6-0 Everton | April 2024
Yellow cards
- Mario Lemina | 11 yellows, 1 red
- Moises Caicedo | 12 yellows, 0 reds
Clean sheets
- Jose Sa | 4
- Djordje Petrovic | 5
3 | Journey to Saturday
Following a relatively positive pre-season, out in Marbella and the Miami, as well as back home in Wolverhampton, with Wolves claiming four wins and two losses from their six outings, they got their Premier League campaign off last weekend with one of the most difficult starts. O’Neil’s men headed to the Emirates to take on one of the sides expected to be challenging for the title once again this season, but although the result didn’t go their way, the player produced a performance with plenty of promise for things to come. Kai Havertz put the Gunners ahead inside the opening half hour, but after Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header was kept out by David Raya, Wolves were much the better side. However, the Old Gold struggled to find the net, and this allowed Bukayo Saka to secure all three points for the hosts.
Like Wolves, Chelsea spent pre-season in the States – winning just once across the pond – in preparation for a busy season ahead, which has already seen Maresca’s side play twice at home in the past week. Similarly to today’s opponents, Chelsea began their Premier League season by suffering a 2-0 defeat to one of this year’s title chasers, with the Blues falling to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and former midfielder Mateo Kovacic. They were back home on Thursday night for a UEFA Conference League play-off round first leg clash with Swiss side Servette, which saw Chelsea experience another 2-0 scoreline, but this time positively, as goals from Chrisopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke gave Maresca’s side the advantage heading into next week’s second leg.
Good vibes in training 👍 pic.twitter.com/HGgTvineFR
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 22, 2024
4 | Beating the Blues at Molineux
Wolves’ most recent home win against Chelsea came in December as the Old Gold hosted the Blues for what was the club’s first Christmas Eve game in almost 60 years, and it was the hosts who served up a present to remember for the 30,000 supporters inside Molineux. After a quiet opening half, the Old Gold turned up the heat after the break and when Mario Lemina headed in Pablo Sarabia’s corner, the lead was richly deserved. As the game entered added time, Matt Doherty then came off the bench to stroke home the second after good work by Hugo Bueno. Despite Nkunku’s late consolation Wolves were good value for all three points.
Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Kilman, Dawson (S Bueno 70), Toti, Ait-Nouri (H Bueno 87), Lemina, Gomes, Sarabia (Doyle 75), Hwang, Cunha (Doherty 86).
Chelsea | Petrovic, Gusto (Badiashile 80), Disasi, Silva, Colwill (Maatsen 79), Ugochukwu (Nkunku 58), Gallagher, Palmer, Sterling, Broja (Mudryk 59), Jackson (Madueke 80).
