Wolves vs Chelsea Prediction & Betting Tips (25 August)

The Wolves had a complicated end to the season, despite remaining assured relatively early. Indeed, they have only won one small victory in their last 10 matches, against relegated Luton 2-1, with a record of 7 defeats and 2 draws. Disappointing performances marked this period, notably against City 5-1, Crystal Palace 1-3 and Liverpool 2-0 on the final day. This left them in a lowly 14th place, despite a decent run to the FA Cup quarter-final. In preparation, Gary O'Neil's side got off to a good start with two encouraging victories against Serie A promotion Como 1-0 and West Ham 3-1, before losing to Crystal Palace 3-1. They then raised their heads by clearly beating RB Leipzig 3-0, but ended on a negative note with a defeat against Rayo Vallecano 0-1, a club far from being among the best in Spain. Logically, they lost undeservedly during their trip to Arsenal 2-0 to open the season. Despite significant spending during the transfer window, Chelsea are struggling to regain their status as title contenders in the Premier League.

Even more worrying, the Blues failed to qualify for the C1 by finishing 5 points from the top 4. Determined to reintegrate this Big 4 before aiming higher, the London club finds itself under great pressure this season. During the pre-season, Chelsea won only one of their six matches. After a draw against Wrexham 2-2 and a crushing defeat against Celtic Glasgow 1-4, they bounced back by dominating Club America 3-0, but then fell to Manchester City 4-2 and Real Madrid 2-1 . Finally, they failed to defeat Inter 1-1 and a home defeat against Manchester City 0-2 for the opening of the championship does not bode well. Fortunately, Chelsea took a step towards the Conference League by beating Servette at home ?-?. 

In order to avoid starting this season in a similar way to the end of the previous one, Wolves will be able to rely on the return from loan of several key players such as Podence, Fabio Silva, Sasa Kalajdzic, Guedes and Mosquera. At the same time, they also record the confirmed arrivals of Rodrigo Gomes, transferred from Braga, Pedro Lima from Brazil, as well as Tommy Doyle on loan from Manchester City. In attack, Norwegian Strand Larsen, author of 13 goals in La Liga with Celta Vigo, joins the team on loan. On the other hand, Kilman, defensive pillar, signed for West Ham, and Pedro Neto was sold to Chelsea for 60 million euros. The major elements, such as José Sa in goal, Ait-Nouri in defense, as well as midfielders Lemina and Bellegarde, will continue to make their contribution, as will attackers Sarabia, Cunha and Hwang, authors of a solid season. On the medical side, Gonzalez (rotation player) and Kalajdzic, injured since February, should miss this match. Furthermore, Nelson Semedo is still suspended after his red card received on the last day of last season. Chelsea have once again been very active during this transfer window, recruiting several new talents. The club welcomed Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester, goalkeeper Jorgensen from Villarreal, and promising Kellyman from Aston Villa. To solidify the defense, Chelsea attempted to sign Veiga from FC Basel, Wiley from Atlanta, as well as Adarabioyo from Fulham.

Barcelona youngster Marc Guiu has also joined the Blues. On the loan returns side, Kepa returned from Madrid, while Angelo and Lukaku returned from Strasbourg and Rome respectively. Chelsea also paid 60 million euros to acquire Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton. In terms of departures, Hutchinson signed for Ipswich and Thiago Silva returned to Brazil, to Fluminense. Palmer, author of 22 goals and 11 assists, as well as Jackson, with 14 goals and 5 assists, remain pillars of the team. Nkunku, injured for a large part of last season, should start this time. On the other hand, Petrovic and Kellyman are not available for this meeting. Sterling (8 goals, 4 assists) and Chillwell are dismissed by coach Maresca, while Joao Felix returns to Chelsea after the exchange with Gallagher, who joined Atlético. Felix, like Fofana, will not be present for this decisive match.