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The solitary Christmas Eve fixture in the Premier League takes place at Molineux as Wolves face Chelsea. This game kicks off at 1pm UK time.
Wolves
Wolves have a ten point buffer on the bottom three and they will be looking to put some more distance between themselves and the relegation zone. The Old Gold have had a decent season so far, but they have won just one of their last five PL matches. Nevertheless, they are very strong at Molineux and have put in some decent performances in front of their own fans. They are unbeaten here since September 16th with only Liverpool and Brighton having collected maximum points at this venue.
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Away from home, they’ve been a little more open, yet they have produced some decent performances. Sunday’s 3-0 loss was the first time that they failed to find the back of the net since the opening weekend (vs Man United – when they were harshly denied a penalty).
Gary O’Neill’s side must improve their first-half performances as they have been guilty of conceding early goals this season. They have fallen behind in eight of their last nine Premier League games with the Black Country side only springing into life once they are trailing.
Pedro Neto has returned to training this week, however, Sunday’s clash with West Ham came too soon for him.
Chelsea
Chelsea are still yet to convince this season despite picking up maximum points last weekend. The Blues beat lowly Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge to pick up just their third victory since the beginning of October. Mauricio Pochettino, who has been critical of the PL’s decision to stage this game on Xmas Eve needs to find a way to improve his side’s performances on the road. They have lost each of their last three away games and have conceded eight times during that sequence. On a positive note, they have generally picked up results when visiting bottom half opposition and will be hoping to give their travelling fans some much-needed festive cheer.
Worryingly for Poch, his side have kept just two clean sheets on the road so far and they could find it tough to keep the hosts off the scoresheet.
The club will be buoyed by reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup in midweek (they will face Middlesbrough in the final four) and they will be aiming to build upon their midweek success over Newcastle.
With reinforcements likely to arrive in January, this appears to be an ideal opportunity for some of Chelsea’s players to prove their worth. Christopher Nkunku is likely to return from injury soon and he could be given some minutes in this game. Enzo Fernandes is struggling with a groin injury whereas Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Reece James and Romeo Lavia remain long-term absentees.
Head to Head
Three of the last five meetings between these sides have ended all-square. The meeting at Molineux almost exactly two years ago ended 0-0 with the return fixture at Stamford Bridge finishing 2-2. Last season, Chelsea eased to victory at Stanford Bridge before Wolves edged past the Blues here at the beginning of April.
Chelsea haven’t won at this ground since September 2019.
Key Betting Stats
- Chelsea away games have averaged 3.25 goals per game this season
- There have been goals in both halves in four of Chelsea’s last five matches
- The Blues are yet to score in the first 10 minutes of a game this season.
- Wolves have kept a clean sheet in just one of their home matches so far.
- 57% of Wolves goals have been scored in the final thirty minutes of games.
- Six of Hwang Hee-Chan’s eight goals have been scored at Molineux
Match Prediction
Wolves will make it tough for the visitors this weekend and they should feel confident of taking something from this tie. Chelsea haven’t been good enough on the road recently and this isn’t an easy venue to visit.
Winning Combo
Wolves or Draw Double Chance and Hwang Hee-Chan to Score Anytime
3.77/1 with Betfair
Best Bookmaker
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