Chelsea were second in the table at one point and were neck-and-neck with Liverpool at the end of the year. But after failing to win their last five Premier League games, the Blues are now 13 points behind their rivals.
However, this performance of Maresca and his team is still commendable because they have a young squad. The problem that Chelsea is facing is scoring, with only 4 goals in the last 5 matches in the English top flight.
However, Chelsea have had an impressive home record this season, winning 10, drawing 4 and losing just 1 of their last 15 games at Stamford Bridge.
On the other hand, Wolves are 17th in the table, level on points with Ipswich Town but with a better goal difference. Coach Vitor Pereira won his first two games in charge of the club (winning against Leicester City and Man United). But three consecutive games without a win have once again put the Wolves in danger.
Wolves have not been bad at attacking, scoring 31 goals in the Premier League, the most of the nine bottom-placed clubs, except Tottenham. In contrast, Pereira's team have conceded a total of 48 goals, the team with the worst defense in the league.
At the moment, the gap between Wolves and the "red lantern" group is very fragile, while being increasingly left behind by the group above. Since being promoted in 2017-2018, they have never had to compete for relegation. To avoid this prospect, Wolves need to improve their defense soon to better cherish each point.
Expected lineup
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Wolves: Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou; R Gomes, Andre, J Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Hwang, Cunha; Larsen
