Overview
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said his youth squad needed to become more "head" after almost losing the 3-goal lead in the Carabao Cup win over Wolves. That match also saw Liam Delap receive the club's sixth red card in just nine games, despite only coming off the bench.
In the next match, The Blues showed one of their most impressive performances since Maresca took charge, when they almost stifled Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea have only created 0.10 expected goals (xG), while they have reached 3.68.
The midfield trio of Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez dominated the midfield with excellent technique and flexible mobility in ball control. Caicedo left his mark in defense, stealing the ball from two opponent players before assisting Joao Pedro to score the decisive goal.
That is a midfield capable of competing with top European teams, and this performance clearly reflects Chelsea's great potential when the playing style that Maresca has built begins to operate smoothly.
After that victory, Chelsea had a disappointing draw with Qarabag FK in Azerbaijan in the UEFA Champions League. However, considering that they have launched a squad with many changes and have to face a gap of up to 4 hours, that result is still acceptable.
Now, The Blues will meet Wolves again - this time in the Premier League - in the context of the opponent having many fluctuations. The Wolves have just sacked coach Vitor Pereira after a 0-3 defeat to Fulham last weekend, causing them to fall to the bottom of the table with only 2 points after 10 rounds.
Statistics show that any team with 2 or less points at this time of the season cannot stay in the league: Man City in 1995-1996 (2 points), Sunderland 2016 2017 (2), Sheffield United 2020-2021 (1) and 2023-2024 (1), and Norwich City 2021-2022 (2) respectively.
After sacking Pereira, Wolves' board continued to make a strong decision when terminating the contract with the head of professional football, Domenico Teti. This backstage turmoil has further unstable the team's situation, and is unlikely to help improve their poor form on the pitch.
Statistics show that Wolves have fallen behind in 59.1% of Premier League matches - the highest rate in the whole tournament.
In contrast, Chelsea have only been behind in 14.4% of their games, the second-lowest in the league, behind Crystal Palace (14.2%).
Personnel situation
After losing to Wolves in 3 consecutive Premier League matches, from April 2023 to February 2024, Chelsea turned the tables in the previous season when they won both of their matches, with a total score of 9-3.
Wolves have won just one of their last 11 Premier League visits to Chelsea (D3 L7). The only win was a 4-2 win in February 2024.
Chelsea have scored five or more goals in four different Premier League games against Wolves, including a 6-2 win at Molineux last season.
No other team has done this more than the Blues in the league. And it was also the first time in Wolves' history that they have conceded five or more goals in as many games against the same opponent.
Score prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Wolves
The match between Chelsea and Wolves takes place at 3:00 am on November 9 (Vietnam time).
