Chelsea vs Wolves – Team News, Lineups, Prediction and Key Stats

Despite Chelsea fans still reeling from Monday’s shock news, the show must go on as the race for the top four took another unexpected twist.

The post-Lampard era begins with a tough home clash against Wolves who will be looking to expose all kinds of fragilities in the Blues’ side.

Rumours of a fractured dressing room have the potential to turn ugly as new head coach Thomas Tuchel will be looking to prevent the team heading into freefall.

The German will seek to begin his reign with a win against a side whose victory in the reverse fixture was a key factor in Lampard’s demise.

However Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo will have other plans, having not won a Premier League game since December’s 2-1 win over the Blues.

Here’s the lowdown:

Team News

Taking charge of Chelsea for the first time on Wednesday evening, Tuchel will only be missing one player with N’Golo Kante still nursing a hamstring injury which rules him out for a further week.

After allowing fringe players a chance during Sunday’s FA Cup win against Luton, expect fully rested Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell to return to the Blues’ defence. With Tuchel now taking the reigns at Stamford Bridge, Silva will be more than familiar with his demands having captained PSG to the Champions League final last season under the German’s management.

Another player who could return to the starting lineup is £70 million signing Kai Havertz who is yet to get going when it matters in West London. Sharing the same mother tongue as the new head coach, expect a special focus on bringing out the best of the young midfielder as well as misfiring striker Timo Werner.

It will be interesting to see if Tammy Abraham retains the number-nine role following a hat-trick against Luton, or whether Werner or a fully rested Giroud will get the nod.

For Wolves, new loan signing Willian Jose is expected to slot straight in, providing much-needed firepower in place of Fabio Silva. The young forward has been wasteful thus far this season and shown the side’s desperate need for an established striker in Raul Jimenez’s absence as he recovers from fracturing his skull.

Other players sidelined for the Molineux side include Jonny Otto, Marcal, and tricky forward Daniel Podence.

Wolves benefitted from resting key players in their 1-0 FA Cup win against non-league Chorley, also holding the advantage of two extra days recovery having played their tie on Friday. Expect Rui Patricio, Nelson Semedo, Ruben Neves, and Pedro Neto to resume starting responsibilities on Wednesday.

Match Facts

Chelsea have won six of their last seven home matches against Wolves
The Blues have also kept a clean sheet in five of their last six home games against Wednesday’s visitors
There have been 3+ goals in each of Wolves’ last three Premier League games
In these last three games, Wolves have conceded at least two goals
Wolves have failed to win a league game in their last six attempts

(Match Facts via WhoScored.com)