England Premier League
Sunday 19th December 2021
Kick off at 2pm GMT
Venue: Molineux Stadium
Match Preview:
How vital was Wolves’ win over Brighton in midweek? It certainly felt like it judging by the reaction of the players and fans after the game. Worryingly for Wolves after a solid couple of months their form had slipped off but this win against a tricky side away from home and the fact they kept a clean sheet will have given them a timely boost heading into this difficult game.
Bruno Lage’s side are in 8th place and are just five points from the top four though if the club were to qualify for the Conference League next season this would be seen as success. Wolves have a better away record so far and have lost 50% of their games at home. Their last home victory came against West Ham a month ago.
Chelsea are slipping and sliding, it certainly isn’t crisis time but have you seen the face Thomas Tuchel is wearing in the last few weeks? Form has seen the Blues go from 1st to 3rd and slip four points behind league leaders Manchester City. It’s a tough league given that Chelsea also have to deal with the team in between them in the 2020 champions Liverpool and we know how strong the Reds can be.
Chelsea have won 21 points from their last 30, that isn’t terrible but their main rivals Liverpool have won 25 points and Manchester City 27. It’s just 1 win in their past three games too. The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Everton in their last game and this was seen as a shock result given Everton’s poor form but also the fact that the Toffee’s were without many key players.
The Blues last away game ended in a 3-2 defeat against West Ham although that is their only loss on the road so far and they do have the equal best record in the league. Also with just five goals conceded Chelsea has the best record away from home in that department too.
Team News:
Wolves: Fabio Silva has Covid-19 and will miss this game. Rayan Ait-Nouri has a muscle injury and is a doubt but could be assessed. Hwang Hee-Chan has a muscle injury and looks likely out of this game. Pedro Neto and Yerson Mosquera are out long term. Jonny is scheduled to return in two weeks from his knee injury.
Chelsea: Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner all have Covid-19 and missed the game vs Everton and while it hasn’t been made official they should also be ruled out of this game. Jorginho has a slight back injury and is a doubt, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has an ankle injury and could also miss out, both players will be assessed. Ben Chilwell is not due back for another month as he has a knee injury.
Wolves vs Chelsea Head to Head:
Last season this fixture finished 2-1 to Wolves.
There is a 60% chance to see over 2.5 goals.
Wolves have just 2 wins over Chelsea in the last 10 meetings.
The last time the clubs played the game ended 0-0 and that was the first 0-0 between them since 1982.
Wolves vs Chelsea Prediction:
Chelsea are the favourites and of course have the quality to win this game but maybe we can have some valid question marks about them coming into this one. Points have been dropped, probably silly points in the opinion of Tuchel. Players are coming down with Covid-19 and they are key ones and perhaps the players expected to perform this season haven’t been at their consistent best.
Wolves themselves have hit a few walls but when the club put a run together they become as one and are not an easy team to beat and we don’t expect Chelsea will have an easy game this weekend. That is why the value could be on the home team in the handicap, and this is certainly worth thinking about.
Chelsea failed to beat Wolves last season, although their overall record is very good against them, just looking at current form Chelsea are drawing too many recently and that could play into our hands as our choice would also cover that situation.
Wolves vs Chelsea Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (+1 Wolves) at 1.727
Half Time Correct Score: 0-0 or 1-0 to Wolves at 2.50 and 8.00
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