Wolverhampton Wanderers will make a difficult trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday looking to keep their decent record against the big teams this season, intact.
They are also on course to pull off an unlikely double over the Blues having defeated them 2-1 at home earlier in the season. The away side will certainly not be intimidated by Sarri’s men but Chelsea’s quality and recent form mean they will enter the match as favourites.
Wolves bounced back with a 2-0 win over Cardiff City after a draw and a loss against Bournemouth and Huddersfield Town respectively.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are locked in an intense battle for a top 4 spot with Arsenal and Manchester United. And with those two playing each other in the last fixture of the weekend, the Blues will want to capitalise on this week’s action.
WOLVES TEAM NEWS
Nuno Espirito Santo has no injury issues to fret over. The only player missing is Ryan Bennett who will serve his suspension after picking up his 10th yellow card of the season against Cardiff City.
PREDICTED WOLVES LINEUP vs CHELSEA (3-5-2)
DEFENCE
Rui Patricio might return in goal after Ruddy had a good run-out last week ahead of a possible start in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Ryan Bennett will miss out due to a suspension which means Roman Saiss could well shift to a central defensive position. The latter was excellent against the Bluebirds and will look to continue his good form.
Conor Coady and Willy Boly will complete the three-man backline which will have a tough job to keep out the likes of Hazard and Higuain.
MIDFIELD
A home game against Cardiff and an away trip at Chelsea are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Adama Traore is likely to make way for Matt Doherty who was surprisingly dropped by Santo.
Vinagre, on the opposite flank, might still keep Jonny out of the side.
Saiss’ possible return to defence might see Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves both get starting spots in midfield. They will be accompanied by Leander Dendoncker. The central midfield looks imposing but they have to avoid a repeat of the lacklustre showing against Huddersfield Town.
ATTACK
The front two is unlikely to be tinkered with. Raul Jimenez has been in excellent form scoring 6 goals and 2 assists in his last ten matches across all competitions and he will once again be the biggest threat for Chelsea. Diogo Jota, who has four goals and two assists in his last seven games, will accompany Raul.
