Preview: Chelsea vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Chelsea will be aiming to make it three straight wins in all competitions when they continue their Premier League campaign at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues recorded a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the league last weekend, while Wolves suffered a 2-0 loss at West Ham United, which cost Bruno Lage his job as head coach.

Match preview

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There was certainly pressure on Chelsea heading into Wednesday's Champions League clash with AC Milan, as the Blues were bottom of Group E ahead of kickoff, boasting just one point from their first two matches.

Graham Potter's side managed to rise into second with a 3-0 win over the Italian champions, though, and it was arguably the team's best performance of the campaign, with Milan well beaten on the night.

Chelsea were also victorious in the Premier League last weekend, with Conor Gallagher coming off the bench to score a last-gasp winner against Palace, and the result left the London club in fifth position in the table, boasting 13 points from their opening seven games.

The Blues are only four points behind third-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand, and the team have some winnable matches to come, facing Aston Villa and Brentford in their two league games after this one, before the small matter of a home fixture with Manchester United.

Chelsea have not actually beaten Wolves in the Premier League since July 2020, though, with each of the last three matches finishing level, including a 2-2 draw in the corresponding match last season.

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Wolves made the decision to sack Lage as head coach following Saturday's 2-0 loss to West Ham, which left the team in 18th position in the table on six points.

The strugglers have won just one of their eight Premier League matches this season and have scored just three goals, and the club's chairman Jeff Shi said that he was left with "no choice but to act".

Wolves are believed to be keen to appoint Julen Lopetegui, who has now left his managerial role at Sevilla, although there will not be any movement before this weekend's contest at Stamford Bridge.

As a result, experienced coaches Steve Davis and James Collins will pick and indeed lead the team for this match, with the former Championship outfit looking to kickstart their campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Wolves, who have avoided defeat on their last two visits to Chelsea in the Premier League, do not have any European commitments this season, but they still have a busy October, facing Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Brentford in their four matches after this one.

Team News

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Chelsea will again be missing N'Golo Kante on Saturday, as the midfielder's fitness is being carefully managed due to a recent thigh injury.

Wesley Fofana is also out with the knee injury that he picked up against Milan on Wednesday evening, which will open the door for Trevoh Chalobah to come into the defence.

Head coach Potter is expected to make changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle in the Champions League, with Jorginho and Marc Cucurella also pushing to be involved on Saturday afternoon.

As for Wolves, Sasa Kalajdzic, Raul Jimenez, Pedro Neto and Chiquinho are all on the sidelines through injury, while Nathan Collins and Ruben Neves are out through suspension.

Diego Costa made his debut for the club as a second-half substitute against West Ham and could now be given the nod through the middle against his former club, while Hwang Hee-chan could pass a late fitness test to make himself available.

Wolves have a big problem in the middle of their defence, which could lead to Toti being pressed into action from the start, while there might be a spot in the middle of midfield for Boubacar Traore.

The interim management team could make the decision to switch to a back four due to the limited options, with Rayan Ait Nouri potentially being the player to drop out of the side.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Kepa; Chalobah, T Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Sterling, Aubameyang, Mount

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Semedo, Toti, Kilman, Jonny; Nunes, B Traore, Moutinho; Guedes, Costa, Podence

We say: Chelsea 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves are short on confidence at the moment but are still full of quality and could certainly make this an uncomfortable match for Chelsea.

The Blues are not quite in full flow, but the midweek European win would have helped them enormously, and we are backing Potter's side to secure another victory here.

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