Wolves host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon in the second match of their Premier League campaign as Gary O’Neil aims for further joy against the Blues.
Wolves were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal last weekend but did show some promising moments in the match, as Rodrigo Gomes looked lively on debut.
The Wanderers now host Chelsea at Molineux, as they prepare to face Pedro Neto for the first time after he completed a £54 million transfer to Stamford Bridge.
Last season, Gary O’Neil completed a league double over the Blues, defeating them 2-1 at home before securing a 4-2 victory in West London, with Matheus Cunha scoring a hat-trick.
It’s been a summer of change once more for Chelsea, who are now managed by Enzo Maresca, with Wolves perhaps looking to seize the initiative and grab all three points.
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Paul Merson predicts the outcome of Wolves vs Chelsea clash
In the closing week of the transfer window, Wolves still need to sign a centre-back to replace Max Kilman and a winger to succeed Neto, at the very least.
Despite working with a tight budget, it’s of paramount importance for O’Neil to successfully capture his targets, with the Wanderers submitting a £13 million bid for Burnley’s Dara O’Shea.
Whilst there is still plenty of work to be done off the pitch, Paul Merson was left quite impressed with how they performed in patches against Arsenal.
Merson also claimed he was a ‘big fan’ of Wolves captain Mario Lemina while sharing his score prediction for the game, via Sportskeeda.
He thinks it will be a tightly contested affair at Molineux and predicts a 1-1 scoreline, writing: “I was worried about Wolves at the start of the season. And even though they lost to Arsenal in the opening game, I thought they were decent during certain phases of the game. I think they’ll be fine this season.”
How Wolves can pull off another win vs Chelsea
O’Neil had Mauricio Pochettino’s number last term as the Wolves boss tactically outsmarted the Argentine on both occasions.
Although Chelsea dominated most of the possession and looked dangerous in attack, the Wanderers were devastating on the counter and that is a plan that can come to fruition once more.
In last weekend’s defeat at Arsenal, the visitors were lightning-quick in transition and could have scored through Jorgen Strand Larsen but his header produced a world-class save from David Raya.
With Chelsea adopting a possession-based system under Maresca, Wolves can sit back in their shape, soak up the pressure and hit them on the break.
That is how they scored four goals at Stamford Bridge last season and the Old Gold can cause major problems, especially with Rodrigo, Hwang Hee-chan, Cunha and Strand Larsen ready to pounce.
It promises to be an encapsulating affair at Molineux, with Wolves aiming to secure a fourth successive victory over the Blues.