Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel talks up Wolverhampton Wanderers' defensive work

Head coach Thomas Tuchel has claimed that Chelsea must try to "accelerate the game" when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

Since Tuchel took over as Blues boss in January 2021, both Premier League fixtures between the two sides have ended in a goalless draw, the most recent encounter taking place in December.

While Tuchel has acknowledged that he does not know what to expect from opponents who have misfired of late, the German has talked up the defensive qualities of the West Midlands outfit.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Tuchel said: "They had problems with results in the very beginning, then they were very, very strong over a large part of the season, and they struggle with results in the last weeks.

"If you go a bit deeper into the statistics and analysing of the game, you see that it is still very, very difficult to create chances, it's very difficult to bypass their defenders, they defend very disciplined, and for us, it is not possible to hurt them with pure ball possession.

"We experienced that kind of match in the first match. We struggled in the first half with their structure on the ball. We didn't allow much, but we also struggled to create. We need to be very aware of the moments where it is possible to accelerate the game. It is almost impossible to catch them on a counter-attack, they are very well protected when they attack. We need a mix of patience and playing with a high rhythm."

Wolves head coach Bruno Lage will not be in the opposite dugout to Tuchel after testing positive for coronavirus.