WATCH FOR OUR MATCH PREVIEW OF WOLVES V CHELSEA
TEAM NEWS
Wolves head into the Chelsea game with a mixed team news update from Rob Edwards. He confirmed that Krejci is back in training after illness and is available for selection. Jean Ricner Bellegarde is another week further along in his return and is building fitness in training, but Edwards did not fully confirm him as match ready. Toti remains unavailable, as he is still not training with the team yet. Edwards also confirmed that new signings Angel Gomes and Adam Armstrong are both available this weekend, and fans should expect to see both involved at some point in the match.
Chelsea travel to Molineux with a few late fitness calls, according to head coach Liam Rosenior. He confirmed Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian are both fit to feature and can play 90 minutes if needed. However, Reece James and former Wolves winger Pedro Neto will be assessed, with a final decision planned after further checks. Chelsea also have a confirmed injury issue, with Jamie Gittens set for a spell out after suffering a hamstring tear, which Rosenior called a big miss.
ROB EDWARDS
Angel Gomes and Adam Armstrong are in line to make their Wolves debuts after joining the club on Monday, while defender Ladislav Krejci is available to play after recovering from flu.
On midfielder Gomes, who has joined on loan from Marseille: “I’ve always joked with him when we’ve spoken over the years that I’d sign him one day. It’s nice to be able to do it now and get him in the building. He’s a brilliant technical player, really intelligent and versatile – which is something that always appeals to me.”
Striker Armstrong signed from Southampton for a reported initial fee of £7m and Edwards said: “I’ve admired him for a long time – again, he’s someone who is versatile. He has a brilliant attitude, a great work ethic and is a really good finisher. It [the deal] made complete sense for the here and now and going forward as well.”
Asked about the potential of a “classic big man/little man” strike partnership between Armstrong and Tolu Arokodare, Edwards said Armstrong’s arrival gives him the flexibility to be able to play them as a pair and gives him another “slight difference” in how the team can play.
Wolves sold striker Jorgen Strand Larsen to Crystal Palace on deadline day in a deal that could be worth up to £48m. “I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about him, he was always the ultimate professional and always gave everything,” said Edwards of the Norway international. “He leaves with my best wishes. It was the right thing in the end for the football club and for him – it’s worked out well for everyone.”
Edwards confirmed centre-back Emmanuel Agbadou is on the verge of joining Turkish side Besiktas, while Jhon Arias’ departure is expected to be finalised in the next few days. It has been reported that Wolves have accepted a bid from Brazilian side Palmeiras for the Colombian midfielder.
On facing Chelsea: “They’ve got an amazing squad so whatever team Liam [Rosenior] chooses will be fresh, ready and packed full of talent.”
MATCH STATS & FACTS
Wolves have lost their last three Premier League games against Chelsea by an aggregate score of 12-3, having won three in a row against the Blues before this.
Chelsea won this exact fixture 6-2 last season but haven’t won consecutive Premier League away games against Wolves since their first two visits in September 2003 (5-0) and February 2010 (2-0).
Chelsea have beaten Wolves 4-3 (EFL Cup) and 3-0 (Premier League) already this season. They last scored 3+ goals against an opponent in three different games in a season in 2016-17 vs Leicester City.
Wolves have failed to score in each of their last three Premier League and have drawn a blank in 13 of 24 games this season (54%). It’s the highest ratio of games a team has failed to score in a season since Norwich in 2021-22 (22/38, 58%).
Victory here for Chelsea would see them win four consecutive Premier League matches, all since Liam Rosenior took over. His predecessor Enzo Maresca only managed one run of four wins in a row across his 57 games, winning five on the bounce in November/December 2024.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is looking to become just the second English manager in Premier League history to win his first four games in charge – Craig Shakespeare won his first five with Leicester between February and April 2017.
Wolves have scored just four goals across their last seven Premier League games at Molineux (W1 D1 L5), scoring three of those from five shots in the first half against West Ham in January (60% conversion rate). Across their other 13 halves of football in that time, they have scored just once from 59 shots (2% conversion).
Wolves haven’t scored a second half goal in any of their last 10 Premier League matches at Molineux – only three sides have ever had a longer run without a home goal in the second half of a match; Everton twice (13 ending January 1999, 11 ending March 2021), Swansea City (12 ending February 2016) and Huddersfield Town (11 ending December 2018).
João Pedro has scored five goals in his last eight Premier League appearances for Chelsea, including a goal in all three under Liam Rosenior so far. He is the first player to score in a Chelsea manager’s first three games in charge, while the only player in Premier League history to score in a manager’s first four overall games in the competition was Matt Le Tissier under Alan Ball in January/February 1994.
Since his first Premier League start on 27 December, Mateus Mané ranks first among his Wolves teammates for shots (20), shots on target (9) and expected assists (0.94), while he’s played the most minutes of any outfield player in that time (626).
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Jarred Gillett. Assistants: Neil Davies, Steve Meredith. Fourth official: Simon Hooper. VAR: Paul Howard. Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.
HEAD TO HEAD (ALL COMPETITIONS)
FORM GUIDE (ALL COMPETITIONS)
