Chelsea are on the road this weekend as they travel to the West Midlands to face Gary O’Neil’s Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It’s been a busy start to Enzo Maresca’s reign. After succumbing to Manchester City on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season, the Blues toppled Servette 2-0 in the first leg of their Conference League play-off on Thursday.

There have been bright sparks in west London, but Maresca has a huge task on his hands in year one if he’s to appease a wildly inflated Chelsea squad. The Italian will hope his squad dwindles in size considerably over the next week.

Wolves are aiming to inflict another Premier League defeat upon the new Chelsea boss while securing their first triumph of 2024/25 themselves. O’Neil’s side certainly weren’t overwhelmed at Arsenal last weekend and were well in the game midway through the second half. However, an emphatic Bukayo Saka finish put the contest beyond them as they fell to a 2-0 defeat.

The hosts will fancy their chances of getting points on the board at Molineux this weekend.

Here is 90min’s guide to Chelsea’s trip to Wolves.

Wolves vs Chelsea H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

O’Neil is still without Nelson Semedo after he was sent off during Wolves’ final game of the 2023/24 season. He’s serving the second game of his suspension this weekend with Matt Doherty likely to deputise at right-back.

The hosts are also without long-term absentees Enso Gonzalez and Sasa Kalajdzic.

Matheus Cunha came off the bench against Arsenal last weekend after nursing a pre-season knock. The Brazilian should be fit to make his first start of the season on Sunday, replacing Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.

Wolves predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sa; Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Lemina, J. Gomes; Hwang, Cunha, R. Gomes; Larsen.

Maresca rotated his pack heavily in midweek against Servette but a team similar to the one that started last Sunday against Man City should be in action at Molineux.

Reece James is serving the second of his four-game suspension this weekend having overcome a minor injury issue. Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah and Raheem Sterling are among the big names Maresca has cast aside.

Cole Palmer trudged off the Stamford Bridge turf clutching his right hamstring after the Servette win, but Maresca played down any injury fears post-match. The Italian is hopeful the England international will be fit to start on Sunday.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Wolves (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia; Palmer, Nkunku, Neto; Jackson.

Chelsea remain a bit of a laughing stock thanks to their ambitious recruiting plans, but the on-pitch stuff hasn’t been all bad at the start of 2024/25.

While Servette had plenty of joy going forward in the first half on Thursday, Maresca’s defensive structure looked far more stable against City than it did throughout pre-season. There are foundations to build upon but the Italian will take some time to discover his optimal formula from a personnel perspective.

The visitors won’t assert much control on Sunday, with Wolves likely to test Chelsea’s build-up and aim to play over the Blues’ press thanks to the presence of target man Jorgen Strand Larsen. They impressed in spells at Arsenal and should earn at least a point on Sunday. Wolves’ recent success in this fixture will undoubtedly give them confidence.

Prediction: Wolves 1-1 Chelsea

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