Wolves vs Chelsea: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 2, 2024
Cole Palmer battling it out with Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina (Photo by James Gill-Danehouse/Getty Images)

Both clubs lost on opening day in the Premier League last weekend, with Chelsea playing the defending champions Manchester City, whilst Wolves travelled to the Emirates to face title-challenging Arsenal.

Chelsea and Wolves will be looking to get their first points on the board this Sunday. Recent fixtures would suggest that Gary O'Neil's side are the favourites heading into this one.

The West Midlands based team beat Chelsea twice last season, with the one at Stamford Bridge being the standout result. They won 4-2 at the Bridge, with Matheus Cunha scoring a hat-trick that day.

Chelsea have not won at Molineux since Frank Lampard was in charge back in 2019. The Blues won 5-2 as Tammy Abraham scored a hat trick, and Fikayo Tomori scored a stunner to give the West Londoners the lead.

Can Enzo Maresca be the first manager since Frank Lampard to take home the three points back to Stamford Bridge? As past games have been, this one should be a thriller.

  • Team News 

Wolves

Nelson Semedo is still out following his red card from last season and will be unavailable until the Newcastle game in September. 

Enso Gonzalez is also out, but this time with a cruciate ligament injury, and will not be available until mid-April next year.

The six foot seven Austrian striker Sasa Kalajdzic is also out with a cruciate ligament injury, which he sustained in February this year, and will be looking to return in late October. Leon Chiwome is also out for the clash this weekend. 

Chelsea

The Blues seem to have gotten away with any injuries in their clash against Servette on Thursday evening. 

However, there was cause for concern when PFA Young Player of the Year Cole Palmer went down the tunnel at full-time, holding his hamstring.

However, Maresca quickly put the concern to rest:

"Cole, he felt something, but he looks fine. They have already checked him. He looks fine, he is okay. Hopefully, there is no problem, and he can be involved in Sunday's game." 

Furthermore, Reece James is still unavailable as he recovers from a minor injury he sustained in pre-season training.

Apart from that, Chelsea have a lot of options available to them.

  • Likely Lineups 

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) 

Jörgensen; Gusto, Colwill, Fofana, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo, Nkunku; Madueke, Jackson, Mudryk

Wolves (4-4-2)

Sa; Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Sarabia, Lemina, J. Gomes, R. Gomes; Strand Larsen, Hwang.

  • Key Players 

Wolves: João Gomes

Gomes is a talented young Brazilian midfielder, who is attracting interest from top clubs in Europe, after having a good campaign for Wolves last season. 

The 23-year-old has Spurs and Liverpool both chasing his signature, as the defensive midfielder would be a perfect and much-needed addition to both clubs.

In addition to the interest, the former Flamengo player has steadily improved since joining back in 2022. Gomes scored his third goal for the club last season against Spurs, where he scored twice to help secure an important three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

It will be interesting to see if Wolves can keep the midfielder at the club this season. The West Midlands team have lost many key players already, so losing Gomes would be devastating.

Chelsea: Christopher Nkunku

The French forward is looking to make a key impact for the Blues this season. After missing the majority of the last campaign, the versatile forward will be looking to cause Wolves problems this Sunday. 

When Chelsea last visited Molineux in a 2-1 defeat, Nkunku scored his first goal in a Blues shirt on his debut. It was unfortunate that it was so late on, but this time around, Nkunku will be looking to make the difference.

Being so versatile, it will be interesting to see how Maresca sets up against Wolves compared to last week. The former RB Leipzig man played on the left wing, which was a surprise as most of pre-season, the Frenchman played centrally either behind the striker or as the ten.

  • Match Details  

Where is the game being played?  

The game is being played at Molineux Stadium, the home of Wolves.

What time is kick-off?  

Kick-off will be at 14:00pm BST on Sunday, the 25th of August. 

How can I watch?  

This match will not be televised in the UK. However, highlights of the match will be shown on the Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel and will also be on Match Of The Day Two, which starts at 22:25pm.