Wolves are back at home on Saturday for the first of their Molineux double-header as Julen Lopetegui’s men face Chelsea, and there are plenty of pre-match talking points to discuss.
#1 It’s tight at the bottom
One of the tightest relegation battles in Premier League history looks set to go down to the wire as Wolves enter the final two months of their top-flight campaign. After a midweek of fixtures which puts almost all of the teams in the bottom half of the table level on games played, there are just seven points separating Crystal Palace in 12th and a Southampton side currently propping up the standings. Lopetegui’s men stand on 28 points going into the final nine matches of the season, but with four teams below them all tied on 27, it could still be anyone’s guess as to which three teams will be occupying the relegation spots come 28th May.
From the teams currently sat in the bottom half of the league, Wolves have still got to play Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Everton in future weeks, and they face the side sat 11th this weekend, as Chelsea come to Molineux. It’s been a tough few weeks for the Blues, having not picked up a win in their last three, but being sat closer to the European spots than they are to those teams below them, Chelsea will be confident they can kick-start their own campaign with a win this weekend.
#2 Taking down the ‘big six’
After fighting back last weekend against Nottingham Forest, Wolves will go into Saturday’s game with renewed confidence, especially as they take on one of the ‘big six’ in front of their home supporters. The last two home wins for Lopetegui’s side have come against another pair of teams who also pulled out of the planned European Super League, in Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur – so they will be hoping lightning does indeed strike thrice, and Wolves can produce another impressive display in front of their home fans.
A look at the recent matches between Wolves and Chelsea in the Black Country also leaves for good reading for those of a gold and black persuasion. Since Saturday’s hosts were promoted back into the Premier League back in 2018, the sides have faced off four times at the golden palace, with Wolves winning two of those matches and one ending all square. Both of Wolves’ wins ended 2-1 in their favour, and both saw the home team fall behind before having to battle back. Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota were among the scorers for the first game in December 2018, while two years later it was Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto who found the net – with the latter’s last-gasp goal earning the points.
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— Wolves (@Wolves) April 4, 2023
#3 Lampard returns to the dugout
A 2-0 loss to Aston Villa last weekend signalled the end of Graham Potter’s reign as Chelsea boss. The former Brighton & Hove Albion and Swansea City manager has had a turbulent time in the Stamford Bridge hotseat, losing 11 of his 31 games in charge, meaning the Blues are now looking for a permanent replacement. Potter’s former defender at Brighton Bruno Saltor has taken the team following his departure, which included being on the sideline for Tuesday night’s goalless draw with Liverpool, in which Chelsea were unable to find a breakthrough, despite creating 12 shots against the Reds.
But on Thursday, it was announced Chelsea legend and former manager Frank Lampard is to take temporary charge until the end of the season, and it was the ex-England midfielder who oversaw the Blues’ only win at Molineux in the past five years. But who will replace Potter in the long-term? There have been a few names being bandied about in recent days, with Julian Nagelsmann – who was let go by Bayern Munich just a few weeks ago – and former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique among those believed to be talking to the club, while Brendan Rodgers, Diego Simeone, Zinedine Zidane and John Terry have also been mentioned, but Lampard will be keen to show enough to continue in the job after the summer.
#4 Who replaces Neves?
With Chelsea discussing managerial changes this week, Wolves’ big topic of conversation will be around their squad selection for Saturday afternoon, which will see Lopetegui enforced into at least one change with the suspension of midfielder Ruben Neves. The captain picked up his 10th booking of the season at the City Ground last week, meaning he will not only be absent for the visit of Chelsea, but also that of Brentford next weekend. Neves has started all every Premier League match since his former Porto boss arrived in late November, so a difficult decision awaits the Spaniard.
But it’s not just the centre-midfield position which poses questions ahead of Saturday. Across the pitch, Lopetegui has been changing his line-up every week as he searches for the best 11 to start each game. Hugo Bueno returned from injury to take his place among the substitutes against Forest, so he could be considered for a first start in five, while Podence made an impact coming from the bench to score the equaliser and could have earned himself a place from the first whistle. Another decision will be able the attacking line-up, will Matheus Cunha maintain his place in the team, or will Raul Jimenez or Diego Costa be brought in, giving the latter a chance to take on his old club.
