Wolves take on Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday Night Football and most people can only see one outcome.
Wolves’ 3-0 defeat against Newcastle was their second in a row and saw them edge closer to the bottom three.
With an unforgiving fixture list on the horizon, Vitor Pereira may have to experience more heartache as his side battle against several teams who are chasing down the European spots.
Unsurprisingly, Paul Merson predicts Chelsea to beat Wolves but after the Old Gold secured a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge last term, nothing is ever guaranteed in football.
Wolves team and injury news ahead of Chelsea clash
Pereira addressed the media on Friday afternoon, delivering a mixed bag of news for the Wolves faithful to digest.
He revealed that talisman Matheus Cunha is a doubt to face Chelsea through illness, although his selection could be determined by him training ahead of the clash.
While fans were fearing the worst about their 10-goal forward, Toti Gomes is expected to return in a week after missing the last three games with an injury.
There was also a positive update on midfielder Boubacar Traore, who was spotted in training this week, while forgotten forward Sasa Kalajdzic is closing in on a return.
As for their opponents, Chelsea’s star player Cole Palmer could miss the clash against Wolves as Enzo Maresca revealed he sat out of Friday’s training session.
Palmer, who Wolves almost signed as a 16-year-old, has an impressive 14 goals and six assists in the Premier League this season.
Wolves predicted XI vs Chelsea
Some of the players who started at St James’ Park are at risk of being dropped at Stamford Bridge on Monday, most notably Hwang Hee-chan.
Hwang was poor against Newcastle and Pereira replaced him with Cunha at half-time, who would naturally replace him in this clash.
However, since the 25-year-old is a doubt for the match, it isn’t 100% known whether he will start. But considering how important he is to Wolves, Pereira will be desperate to get him on the pitch and he should be selected in the line-up.
Goncalo Guedes is also at risk of losing his place after a below-par performance, though the lack of quality options from the bench means he should keep his place.
Meanwhile, Jorgen Strand Larsen faced criticism for missing some golden chances against Newcastle but again, there is no one in reserve to swap him for.
So, providing Cunha is fit, the only other change Pereira could make is giving Rodrigo Gomes a rest for £37m star Nelson Semedo, with the captain returning to the lineup.
Wolves predicted XI vs Chelsea: Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou; Semedo, Andre, J. Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha, Strand Larsen.