Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Chelsea, Premier League: Preview, team news, how to watch

Much of the Chelsea news still revolve around transfers, most of them outgoing as the club seek to nearly halve their current squad. It’s a buzz that doesn’t help us focus on the pitch given all the last minute deals (and scrambles) we’ll be forced to make if we are to give manager Enzo Maresca an easier time handling hurting egos for matters well beyond his own control, and others still within it.

Nevertheless there’s a trip to be made to the Molineux this Sunday. It’s usually not a trip Chelsea enjoy, but perhaps having a player like Pedro Neto who intrinsically knows them can make it so we get our first three points of the season in the Premier League.

Date / Time: August 25, 2024, 14.00 BST; 9am EST; 6:30pm IST
Venue: Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Referee: Darren England (on pitch); John Brooks (VAR)
Forecast: Drizzle and a moderate breeze

On TV: none (UK); none (USA); none (India); Canal+ Sport 4, SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport MaXimo 2 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: none (UK); Peacock (USA); none (India); DStv Now (NGA)

Wolverhampton team news: Having managed to stay in the Premier League for a sixth consecutive season, Wolves decided not to stir the pot with too many signings. While former SC Braga winger Rodrigo Gomes was their most expensive signing this season, the one that got most attention was their gazumping of Chelsea for young Brazilian fullback Pedro Lima from Sport Recife.

Gomes was a starter in their season-opening match against Arsenal in the Premier League. But he couldn’t make much of an impact as they went on to lose 2-0 to last season’s runners-up, Arsenal.

Manager Gary O’Neil hopes his team keep up their great record against Chelsea, which is unfortunately not limited to the Molineux. He won’t be able to count on right-back Nelson Semedo who’s suspended; nor on left-winger Enso Gonzalez, and strikers Leon Chiwone and Saša Kalajdžić, due to injury.

Chelsea team news: The 2-0 win over Servette with a heavily rotated starting eleven was a good sign of things to come for Chelsea if we are to truly click under Enzo Maresca. It might be boring at (a lot of) times, but it’ll be fun to watch when things connect upfront, and we will score some good goals from it.

Meeting Manchester City’s level in the season opener was always a high ask, especially with so many key players still looking out of shape due to their lack of preseason preparation. Some of these players didn’t look much better in the midweek UEFA Conference League playoff game, but more game time should get them up to the speed of the rest of the squad in little time.

One good thing from this start of the season is not having many injury issues, which is already a great advantage from last year’s preseason where we had already lost Christopher Nkunku to a badly beaten pitch in our US tour. This time around Maresca only won’t be able to count on Reece James, who’s not just injured but also still serving suspension from the red card he got at the penultimate Premier League game of last season, against Brighton away. His list of absentees of course don’t include all 20+ players looking for a way out of Cobham this summer.

Previously: It’s been almost five years since we last beat Wolves at the Molineux. But still we did it thanks to a Tammy Abraham hat-trick, accompanied by goals from Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori in a 5-2 scoreline.