Thank you and goodbye
That’s it for VAVEL UK’s live text commentary on this Premier League match between Chelsea and Wolves — we hope you enjoyed it!
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CHE 0-0 WOL FULL TIME THOUGHTS
Constant possession and final-third passing were countered by flawless defending; 0-0 seems a deserved scoreline. Against a struggling and injury-hit Wolves side Tuchel might have hoped for a win, or even expected it, but his men couldn't find a way through. Mount and Pulisic looked to be a very powerful double threat down the right - that will certainly factor into Tuchel's tactical thinking going forward. At the same time, Hudson-Odoi looked impressive throughout, especially so when he was placed on the left wing and allowed to cut in on his right foot. Looking ahead, playing him inverted on the left will provide more shooting opportunities while allowing Chilwell in the wingback position to overlap and look for the cross on his own, with an option to play short.
Wolves will be relieved to have kept a clean sheet against such a strong attacking side, and this evening may serve as something of a turning point. Willian Jose has got his first minutes in gold under his belt, and Wolves' movements looked far more natural with him up front - the shape looked a lot more settled. Attacking options were minimal for the three forwards as the wingbacks were usually pinned deep and the service from midfield was frequently cut off; this will be something for Nuno to work on in training, but it is not the most important takeaway from tonight. Wolves have earned themselves a point, and kept a first clean sheet in the league since hosting Crystal Palace in October. A trip to Selhurst Park on Saturday will give them the opportunity to build upon the confidence of tonight by scoring some goals against a less dominant side, before home fixtures against Arsenal and Leicester.
Tonight feels like a turning point in the seasons of both Chelsea and Wolves - Tuchel and Nuno both know what they now need to work on, and both can go into the coming fixtures with a degree of optimism about them. Wolves' spirits will be further boosted over the next few weeks, with returns from injury for Fernando Marcal and Jonny Castro Otto fast approaching.
93' CHE 0-0 WOL FULL TIME
Hudson-Odoi is man of the match. Thoroughly deserved - he's been the most threatening player on the pitch for most of the night.
Mount and Pulisic combine on the right. Corner after a deflected cross. Havertz's header is crucially blocked behind by the debutant Jose to save the point for Wolves.
92' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hudson-Odoi tries to beat Hoever to the byline but the ball goes out for a goal kick.
91' CHE 0-0 WOL
Correction. 3 minutes.
Chelsea attack down the left again, slowly working the ball central then right. They can't find a way through.
90' CHE 0-0 WOL
Adama comes off for Moutinho. 4 minutes to come.
88' CHE 0-0 WOL
Mount breaks into the Wolves box after a through ball slips into the small gap in the Wolves defence. Boly dives forwards to clear the cross for a corner. Again nothing comes of the corner.
Very sloppy defending on the next attack but it gets the job done. Wolves attack out of nowhere with Adama and Neto on the left. Neto floats a ball to Dendoncker who is covered by Hudson-Odoi.
85' CHE 0-0 WOL
Traore cuts inside, beats a lot of defenders, loses the ball from a bad pass, Neves knocks someone over for a free kick.
Great save from Patricio to deny Hudson-Odoi whose deflected shot was curling towards the far post.
Mount's corner is dealt with. Pulisic fouls Neto on the flank for a Patricio free kick.
85' CHE 0-0 WOL
Pulisic crosses again, Kilman appears to block the cross, officials give it as a goal kick.
84' CHE 0-0 WOL
Patricio holds onto the delivery from the corner, slows things right down.
83' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech off for Mount. Mount to Abraham, to Pulisic who crosses from the byline in the box. Wolves struggling, then regrouping and isolating Mount out wide. Semedo concedes the corner from a blocked cross.
82' CHE 0-0 WOL
Pulisic beats Semedo who alls over. Cuts back to Ziyech who feeds it to Kovacic. Very strong curling shot only just misses the top corner, that would have been a brilliant goal.
81' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech's corner moves around awkwardly in the box. Patricio is fouled. Free kick Wolves.
80' CHE 0-0 WOL
Mason Mount warming up.
Ziyech's powerful shot knocks Coady over and wins Chelsea a corner.
79' CHE 0-0 WOL
Azpilicueta tries another deep cross towards the penalty spot, almost finds Abraham, Patricio deals with it. Long goal kick goes towards Jose - Wolves have attacking direction now.
78' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hudson-Odoi is now playing on the left, Pulisic in his previous position on the right.
Silva is knocked over theatrically by Jose, no foul.
77' CHE 0-0 WOL
Kilman clears a long ball but only as far as Havertz. Throw on the Wolves right. Possession lost, Chelsea have it again.
76' CHE 0-0 WOL
Neto takes the free kick. Jose works it to Traore, who passes to Neto. Long shot goes high.
Pulisic on for Chilwell, who can't believe he's coming off. Abraham on for Giroud.
75' CHE 0-0 WOL
Adama beats his man before being double marked and taken down for a free kick in the right half-space after a quiet couple of minutes.
73' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea movement breaks down in the centre. The next one goes wide to Hudson-Odoi and Semedo blocks the cross for a throw.
73' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hoever deals with Chilwell's high movement, conceding a throw. Pulisic getting ready to come on.
72' CHE 0-0 WOL
Podence coming off to give Willian Jose his Wolves debut, in the number 12 shirt.
71' CHE 0-0 WOL
Corner for Chelsea. Cleared away. Rudiger keeps possession and Chelsea work it central. Adama gets in the way of an audibly powerful shot. Wolves break, Neto 1-2 with Podence, somehow keeps the ball and tries to chip it over Mendy. Hits the bar. Very unfortunate.
70' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea move down the right again. Hudson-Odo's cross is headed away by Jorginho. Adama, Semedo and Kilman are defending well on the left.
69' CHE 0-0 WOL
Willian Jose is receiving his tactical briefing from Rui Pedro Silva in the technical area.
68' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea are passing it around but openings are few with Wolves defending deep.
67' CHE 0-0 WOL
Havertz is taken down near the Wolves box, no foul as Boly got the ball first.
67' CHE 0-0 WOL
Neto beats two men down the right flank but there's no one in the box to meet the cross after his beautiful run. Wolves need a target man, soon.
65' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech finds Chilwell again. Giroud is again marked out of the game, and Havertz's shot is blocked over the bar by Dendoncker. None of it mattered as Ziyech was offside to begin with.
64' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech plays the ball in from out wide to Giroud after some nice passing down the Chelsea right. Coady tracks the movement perfectly and keeps Giroud from finding his balance. The resulting scuffed shot is easily handled by Patricio.
62' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chilwell catches Adama late and gets himself booked.
61' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech moves central and passes to Chilwell. Havertz then cuts it back to Chilwell from the back of the box; Chilwell put it over the box. Not the first chance he's missed, but the movement has again been admirable.
60' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hoever and Adama combine on the right; low cross is cut out in front of the back line.
59' CHE 0-0 WOL
A frustrated Giroud sends a shot straight at Patricio from an awkward shooting angle. No challenge to stop it.
58' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hudson-Odoi floats a ball in towards Giroud; Hoever gets it clear for a throw on the Chelsea right. Wolves deal with the resultin attack. Azpilicueta then sends another long cross in towards Giroud. Coady marks him perfectly to give away the corner from the header. Chelsea can't make anything from the corner directly.
57' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech is taken down by Kilman in the right half-space for a free kick.
57' CHE 0-0 WOL
Kilman again loses possession from a long pass on the left.
56' CHE 0-0 WOL
Adama gets the ball after a long period of Chelsea possession and promptly wins a free kick.
55' CHE 0-0 WOL
Kilman's long ball towards Neto is dealt with, Chelsea in possession.
54' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hoever blocks Chilwell's cross. Neves sends it to Podence who is wiped out by Kovacic. On the ground holding his right ankle.
52' CHE 0-0 WOL
Neto wins a throw right by the corner flag. Semedo to Dendoncker. Back to Semedo. Cross blocked for another throw. Short to Podence. Another Wolves throw. Cross in by Podence, Jorginho and Silva deal with it. Chelsea win the ball in midfield and slow the play down before switching it out to their left.
51' CHE 0-0 WOL
Somehow still a Wolves free kick. Neves launches it into the box, cleared away. Coady cycles it back to Neves. Neto wins a throw on the left. This is much more positive from Wolves.
50' CHE 0-0 WOL
Azpilicueta is in a bit of pain, but carrying on.
Neto has just earned himself a yellow for decking Jorginho after getting fouled by the Italian for a free kick.
49' CHE 0-0 WOL
Wolves breaking. Podence misplaces a pass to Adama who slips over and Chilwell gets away with the ball.
49' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hoever throws straight to the Chelsea defence. Kilman robs Ziyech. Wolves attack down the right, comes to nothing.
47' CHE 0-0 WOL
Wolves aren't looking to press the back line or pres out wide - just looking to control the centre of the pitch now. Solid strategy.
47' CHE 0-0 WOL
Azpilicueta clears for a throw between Neto's legs.
46' CHE 0-0 WOL
Quick attack from Chelsea. Semedo beaten by Hudson-Odoi on the Wolves left. Havertz down in the box. No penalty.
46' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hoever is coming on for Ait Nouri on the Wolves right, Semedo shifting to LWB. Look for some underlapping runs from him. Second half getting underway.
48' CHE 0-0 WOL HALF TIME
That has to be the most dominant goalless first-half performance I can remember. Chelsea have controlled possession and looked constantly dangerous going forwrds in the wide regions, where the attacking midfielders and wingbacks have combined to outnumber the Wolves wingbacks, who didn't have the wingers backing them up (wingers were staying forwards and usually central to be able to counterattack). That said, Wolves have defended very strongly, and killed every Chelsea opportunity right at the crucial moment. The back three have been on fire today. Chelsea have done everything right going forwards, but haven't been able to find a way through.
Tuchel won't have much to say to his players at half time other than 'keep doing what you're doing' - they're getting it into the wide regions to isolate the wingbacks, which seems to be the right strategy. Semedo and Ait Nouri have performed very well so far, and Chelsea will likely look to keep putting them under pressure until they slip up.
Meanwhile, Wolves need a focal point to the attack. Willian Jose should make an appearance at some point in the second half, but the big dilemma for Nuno will be who he replaces. The midfield battle will be key to ensure that service reaches the wide men, so the logical choice seems to be taking a defender off with 15 or 20 minutes to go, to allow Podence to drop deep to help out the central midfielders if needed.
Standout performers in this half have been Chilwell and Hudson-Odoi, by some distance. As the BT Sport commentators have mentioned repeatedly, the main thing to improve is off-the-ball movement from the midfielders - the Wolves midfielders need to go forwards to support the attackers, and the Chelsea attacking midfielders need to direct their runs to stretch the Wolves defence and create the gaps to work in.
47' CHE 0-0 WOL
Cross almost meets Havertz, Boly clears, Neto bodychecks Kovacic as they go for the loose ball. Havertz looks for Giroud but it goes out for a goal kick.
47' CHE 0-0 WOL
Semedo throws long to Adama. Another throw is won. Semedo sends it to Podence, who loses it.
46' CHE 0-0 WOL
3 minutes to come.
Chelsea attacking in numbers again. Wolves are parking the bus. Big diagonal from Ziyech to Chilwell; Semedo sends it out for a throw, taking no chances.
45' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hudson-Odoi finds Havertz, but Boly goes down in the box and wins a free kick.
44' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hudson-Odoi tries to cut it back from the byline after running into the box, only manages to win a corner.
44' CHE 0-0 WOL
Rudiger sends another lobbed ball forwards, Kilman deals with it easily enough.
43' CHE 0-0 WOL
Wolves are outnumbered in midfield and lose the ball, even with Ait Nouri inverted and supporting the centre-mids.
42' CHE 0-0 WOL
Another big pass from Silva finds Chilwell near the box, who is just offside. Silva looks to be playing in something like the Conor Coady role at the moment, and he's doing it very well.
41' CHE 0-0 WOL
Silva sends a long aerial pass to Havertz in the box. Chelsea do well to keep hold of the ball under pressure. Silva has it again, feeds it into the midfield.
40' CHE 0-0 WOL
Neves plays a perfectly weighter ball up the left wing. Neto takes it from Podence on the edge of the box. Beautiful cross finds an unmarked Dendoncker, who can't quite get the header down.
39' CHE 0-0 WOL
Rudiger meets the delivery at the back post; Patricio bails Wolves out with a good save.
39' CHE 0-0 WOL
Semedo shoves Chilwell over, this is turning out to be a key duel. Ziyech free kick on the left of the box.
38' CHE 0-0 WOL
Possession changes hands a couple of times; Wolves are lucky to not be punished for some loose touches.
37' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chilwell pulls Semedo down near the halfway line. Free kick.
37' CHE 0-0 WOL
Boly sends a hoofed clearance towards Adama, who can't deal with the height on it and loses possession.
36' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea are slowly pushing Wolves deeper into their own half; Wolves are taking the pressure well.
35' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea throw on the left. Semedo robs Chilwell who goes down very lightly for a free kick to stop the Wolves break.
34' CHE 0-0 WOL
Short to Podence, Semedo crosses in from the edge of the box. Cleared. Neves tries to put it back into the box. Cleared again. Wolves are holding possession for once.
33' CHE 0-0 WOL
Wolves are stringing passes together, Adama and Neto help the ball out to Semedo whose cross is sent behind for Wolves' first corner by Chilwell. Neto to take.
32' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea are happy to hold possession and look for the openings down their left. Neves and Neto win the ball back. Neto is double marked but manages to win a throw on the Wolves right.
32' CHE 0-0 WOL
Neto does well to help the ball on towards the centre, Adama falls over, Chelsea have it again.
30' CHE 0-0 WOL
Neto holds the ball well near the corner flag on Chelsea's left. Wins a throw high up. Semedo to take. Chelsea throw, Chilwell. Sends it long to Giroud, who works it to the opposite flank. Hudson-Odoi sends a high cross to Chilwell behind the far post. He can't get the shot on target, goal kick. Brilliant movement by the whole Chelsea side.
30' CHE 0-0 WOL
Coady is coming back on, he seems to be alright.
29' CHE 0-0 WOL
Not just a nosebleed. Concussion check on the Wolves captain.
29' CHE 0-0 WOL
Coady is stood in the technical area - he has a nosebleed. Mason Mount is starting to warm up.
28' CHE 0-0 WOL
Traore wins it in midfield. Podence tries a long ball to Podence up the right. Mendy comes a long way out to clear the danger.
26' CHE 0-0 WOL
Short corner routine - ball takes a deflection and loops into the box. Rudiger tries to cross back in, Dendoncker concedes another corner. Ziyech's delivery isn't dealt with well. Semedo half-clears it and Podence concedes a free kick near the halfway line. Jorginho isn't allowed to take it as quickly as he'd like to.
26' CHE 0-0 WOL
Play resumes, Chelsea in control again. Kovacic plays it towards Hudson-Odoi and Ait Nouri who concedes the corner.
25' CHE 0-0 WOL
Podence has gone off to the sideline. About to come back on.
24' CHE 0-0 WOL
Silva takes Podence down. Both are hurt. Podence has come off worse. Been in the wars tonight. Silva gets the ball first - no foul.
23' CHE 0-0 WOL
Straight over the bar. Perhaps a bit difficult to get the shot down from that close after getting it over the wall.
22' CHE 0-0 WOL
Neves steps up.
21' CHE 0-0 WOL
Rudiger hits Podence in the face with his arm as Podence is through on goal. Free kick near the edge of the box.
21' CHE 0-0 WOL
Kovacic slips a through ball towards Giroud; Boly cuts out the danger.
20' CHE 0-0 WOL
Another Chelsea onslaught leads to a shot from range by Ziyech; Patricio deals with it comfortably.
19' CHE 0-0 WOL
Kovacic has been dropping between two centre-backs a few times, this back three is very fluid and unpredictable. Impressive given how little time Tuchel has had with these players.
Neves plays it to Neto wide on the right who holds it under pressure from three men and tries an ambitious cross towards Traore in the box. First meaningful attack from Wolves, with almost 20 minutes gone.
17' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hudson-Odoi's cross is cut out and cleared by Kilman. Ziyech and Neves go up for a 50-50 and Ziyech fouls the Wolves vice-captain, who is a little hurt but mostly alright.
16' CHE 0-0 WOL
Wolves uncomfortably deal with a Chelsea attack in Ait Nouri's direction. Neto loses it in his own half and Chelsea have possession yet again.
15' CHE 0-0 WOL
Semedo cuts out a passing movement wide on the Wolves right. Wolves are trying to keep possession. Podence puts it between Kovacic's legs and loses it. Havertz breaks forward very quickly. Boly pulls out of the tackle to avoid a penalty, Coady's last ditch tackle saves Wolves from embarrassment.
14' CHE 0-0 WOL
Boly's lobbed pass finds no-one. Possession squandered. Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi try to combine again, they've looked the most threatening of these Chelsea players so far.
13' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chilwell knocks Dendoncker over deep in the Wolves half. Free kick, Boly to take.
13' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea are passing it around in midfield, looking for the opening.
11' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech plays the ball towards Hudson-Odoi; Ait Nouri clears for the corner. Havertz can't win the header. Chelsea have it on the left again. Pass into defence with a big diagonal to Hudson-Odoi. Ait Nouri is dealing with the numerical pressure well.
10' CHE 0-0 WOL
Semedo cutes infield after winning possession, tries to play a ball towards Traore, misplaces the pass. Probably should have attempted a shot himself.
10' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chilwell and Havertz combine on the left - Giroud can't quite reach the through ball.
9' CHE 0-0 WOL
Possession lost from a Patricio goal kick towards Traore. Wolves win it back on the opposite flank, Neto dispossessed by Silva. Chelsea in control again. Completely dominant so far from Tuchel's men.
8' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ait Nouri blocks another low cross - Chelsea throw in the Wolves third.
8' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech takes the corner, Neto clears and attempts to break forwards but loses the ball.
7' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chilwell crosses with a lot of men pushing into the box - Semedo blocks for a corner.
6' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chilwell sends a looping cross in from the left; it overshoots the box but Chelsea stay in possession.
5' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chilwell's pass is cut out by Neves. Chelsea are quickly back in possession. Hudson-Odoi sends a brilliant low cross across the face of goal - Giroud can't get on the end of it. Semedo throw to come.
4' CHE 0-0 WOL
Hudson-Odoi and Chilwell look to be playing as wing-backs, with Havertz and Ziyech in attacking midfield and Azpilicueta-Silva-Rudiger as a back three.
3' CHE 0-0 WOL
Long ball from the back overshoots Adama on the right - Rudiger sees it out for a goal kick.
2' CHE 0-0 WOL
Ziyech plays a ball in from the edge of the box but it's cleared away. Chelsea throw high on the right. Podence goes down in pain. Not a good sign seeing how long he's been out with a calf issue.
1' CHE 0-0 WOL
Chelsea are in control early, looking for a way into the Wolves defence. Wolves are starting in a 5-2-3 - they're going to be happy to sit back, let Chelsea have the possession but make it difficult to do anything with it.
Taking the knee
As always, the players kneel prior to kickoff in protest at racial injustice.
Minute of silence for Holocaust remembrance
A minute of silence is being held prior to kickoff in memory of all those so inhumanly murdered in the Holocaust. They will never be forgotten.
1 minute to go
Teams are on the pitch now.
Serious attacking options on both benches
Chelsea are starting a strong front four of Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Olivier Giroud and Callum Hudson-Odoi, with equally strong players on the bench in Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner - Tuchel will look to dominate in the Wolves third from start to finish.
Meanwhile, the Wolves starting XI and bench reveal a different strategy. Starting Adama Traore, Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto - the club's three fastest players - will allow Wolves to sit back and absorb the pressure of Chelsea's attack before launching rapid counterattacks into space. With Vitinha on the bench as well as Willian Jose, Patrick Cutrone and Fabio Silva, Wolves will likely switch to a strike duo with central attacking midfielder as the the game reaches its final stages.
Wolves: Confirmed lineup
3-4-3: Patricio; Boly, Coady, Kilman; Semedo, Dendoncker, Neves, Ait Nouri; Adama, Podence, Neto.
Here's how Wolves line-up for tonight's @premierleague fixture against @ChelseaFC. #CHEWOL
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 27, 2021
🐺📋 pic.twitter.com/irCAQnf5Sf
Chelsea: Confirmed lineup
4-2-3-1 (formation to be confirmed): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Silva, Chilwell; Jorginho, Kovacic; Ziyech, Havertz, Hudson-Odoi; Giroud.
Here is the first Chelsea team of the Thomas Tuchel era! 📝🔵#CHEWOL pic.twitter.com/cqHQXUUmyK
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 27, 2021
Chelsea formation change
Equally big news from Simon Johnson - Chelsea look to be moving to a back three. Wolves will be facing a very different team from the one that fell at Molineux last month.
Will be confirmed in an hour but hearing some interesting #CFC team news for Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge: back three, all three Germans involved and expect Callum Hudson-Odoi to play as a right wing back. Mason Mount has been left out of the XI. https://t.co/3w527sKpF2
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) January 27, 2021
Willian Jose on the bench, Daniel Podence starts
Huge update from Tim Spiers - Wolves' attacking options have been significantly strengthened by a return from injury for Daniel Podence and a completion of work permit forms for Willian Jose. Could Wolves go for a 4-2-3-1 setup, with so many attackers now available?
New striker Willian Jose is on the bench for Wolves tonight. Received his work permit yesterday and arrived in England last night.
— Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) January 27, 2021
Daniel Podence fit again and starts #WWFC
That's all for now!
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Nuno sheds light on Willian Jose situation
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno revealed that Wolves are "still waiting on the work permit to be solved [...] things are going and it’s just a matter of time for everything to be OK. Having a work permit has an exception on the quarantine, as long as Willian has tested negative back in Spain. We are waiting also on that result. I believe after everything is solved, he’ll join the group.”
The Brazilian is not expected to be available for selection tonight due to the work permit delay. If he becomes available, he is expected to take no time settling in and join up with the first team immediately.
Klopp sees nothing to worry about for Lampard
Weighing in on Chelsea's decision to get rid of manager Frank Lampard, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp said that:
"At Chelsea, you are successful or you are out, that is obviously the mantra. I said plenty of times, I was lucky with the clubs I had.
“For Frank everything will be fine. The football people, if they saw some of the stuff Chelsea played last year, they saw there is a clear plan. He is a young manager and did a lot of really good stuff. He will be back soon if he wants that” (quoted by BT Sport).
How to watch Chelsea vs Wolves Live TV and Stream
If you want to watch the game on TV, tune in to BT Sport 1, where coverage starts at 17:30 GMT for an 18:00 kickoff.
If you want to directly stream it, your options are the BT Sport website or a NOW TV pass.
If you want to watch it on the internet, VAVEL UK is your best option!
Wolves: Predicted Lineup
3-4-3: Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Dendoncker, Ait Nouri; Traore, Silva, Neto.
Chelsea: Predicted Lineup
4-3-3: Mendy; James, Rudiger, Silva, Chilwell; Havertz, Jorginho, Mount; Ziyech, Werner, Pulisic.
Wolves: Team News
Wolves are still without Fernando Marcal (groin), Morgan Gibbs-White (COVID-19), Jonny Castro Otto (ACL) and Raul Jimenez (skull). Daniel Podence (calf) might be available despite being absent from the squad that faced Chorley, and could make an appearance off the bench.
After a minor surgery to repair the damage to his groin, Marcal should be available within the next couple of weeks. Jonny is looking at the same time scale - his recovery is sooner than expected, and it is a huge relief for a team that has often struggled out wide this season. Having two more senior wing-backs available will be a major boost to the defensive solidity of this Wolves squad.
Equally welcome is news of star striker Raul Jimenez's impressive recovery from his skull fracture - the Mexican has defied all expectations and is expected to be able to play before the end of this season.
Chelsea: Team News
Chelsea's squad is almost at full strength, with only N'Golo Kante (hamstring) an injury doubt. Despite picking up a knock to the leg before his substitution in the victory over Luton, Christian Pulisic is expected to be available.
Pulisic reunited with former mentor
Tuchel and Christian Pulisic have a shared history - five seasons ago, the German handed Pulisic his professional debut at Borussia Dortmund. Pulisic first came to prominence under Tuchel's tutelage, and will be happy to be working with him again.
Speaking when Tuchel left the Westfalenstadion in 2017, Pulisic said: "I'm just very thankful for everything he did for me. Tuchel always trusted me and gave me a chance." (quoted by ESPN FC).
Choices to make for Nuno
After achieving mixed results with a back four system, Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo reverted to his trusted back three against Chorley last time out. While a clean sheet was kept, attacking options seemed minimal and Wolves only registered one shot on target.
Nuno will have to decide whether to go defensive or to bolster the attack - Chelsea are far more likely to score than Chorley, so the service to the forwards will have to be improved if Wolves are to get a result from this match.
First test for Tuchel
With both teams in a good place coming off the back of FA Cup victories over lower-league opposition, both will be looking to start a winning streak tonight. New boss Thomas Tuchel can start his Chelsea career in style with a victory tonight - his players will hope to earn his trust with some strong individual showings.
Kick-off time
Chelsea vs Wolves will be played at Stamford Bridge, in London, England. The kick-off is scheduled at 18:00 GMT.
Welcome
Welcome to VAVEL UK's LIVE coverage of the 2021 Premier League match: Chelsea vs Wolves! My name is Joe Frost and I'll be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.com