Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea 06/12/18

06 December 2018

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea will face-off at the Molineux Stadium in contrasting circumstances. Going through a difficult period, the hosts are rapidly slipping down the table, while the visitors march towards the Champions League promotion.

After a promising start of the season that has seen them securing four wins in Premier League clashes, the Wanderers have miserably failed in their last six league meetings. Apart from a 1-1 stalemate with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, Nuno Espirito Santo’s players have lost five out of last six Premier League encounters, including the one to Cardiff City last time out. Moreover, Wolves’ defensive performance, which was their main straight over the last few years, has been letting them down for almost a month. Not only they have struggled to wrap up all three points for six straight games, but they have failed to keep a clean sheet during the run, conceding a minimum of two goals four times in the process. The returnees also have a negative record at home, as they have won two while losing three out of seven games at the Molineux Stadium.

On the other hand, the Blues have managed to immediately bounce back from their first defeat this season, securing a routine 2-0 win over Fulham at home last weekend. With a record of nine wins, four draws, and one loss, the Pensioners sit third in the table, trailing Manchester City by seven points. Before a 3-1 failure against Tottenham at Wembley, Maurizio Sarri’s men have clinched four triumphs in five road trips, keeping a clean sheet four times in the process. Although they’ve been struggling in the Premier League lately, seven of their nine league victories have seen Chelsea winning by a margin of two goals or more. What’s more, seven of their last ten matches across all competitions have produced over 3.5 goals.

Provisional line-up – Wolverhampton Wanderers:

Gk: Rui Patricio Defense: Coady – Boly – Saiss – Doherty – Vinagre Midfield: Dendoncker – Moutinho – Helder Costa Attack: Cavaleiro – Raul Jimenez

Provisional line-up – Chelsea:

Gk: Arrizabalaga Defense: Rudiger – David Luiz – Azipilicueta – Alonso Midfield: Kovacic – Jorginho – Kante Attack: Eden Hazard – Pedro – Giroud