After losing their opening match of the season, Chelsea will have a chance to bounce back under Enzo Maresca when they face Wolves on Sunday. While the squad is still too large for everyone to be involved, the Chelsea boss does know what his top side is. It will be a quick return to the Molineux for Pedro Neto after signing for Chelsea from Wolves as the winger could be in line to secure his first start for the Blues.
Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Aug. 25 | Time: 9 a.m. ET
- Location: Molineux Stadium — Wolverhampton, West Midlands
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Wolves +340; Draw +280; Chelsea -135
Storylines
Wolverhampton: Figuring out how to set up their attack with Neto no longer in the side, the early returns facing Arsenal were positive. While most will struggle to create chances against the Gunners, Wolves had a few via Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha. With Cunha now getting more minutes under his belt to be closer to starting matches, that will only improve the attack in the long run. Chelsea’s defense isn’t as strong as Arsenal’s so they’ll like their chances to make some noise.
Chelsea: Enzo Fernandez was tried at the 10 against City and it created a lack of balance in midfield. While Cole Palmer isn’t a prototypical 10 with how much he enjoys shooting, it would make sense to slide him back inside so that he can find the game when needed. If Chelsea’s squad can settle, the signs are there that they can make some noise but now having Joao Felix to integrate into an already bloated side, how many players is too many?
Prediction
Playing two matches in a week due to Europa Conference League qualification, Chelsea will have a bit of a European hangover that Wolves will take advantage of to pull out a victory at home. Pick: Wolverhampton 2, Chelsea 1
