Wolves are taking on Chelsea on Christmas Eve – and BBC pundit Chris Sutton has now made his score prediction for the game.
Wolves are hoping to bounce back from the 3-0 defeat to West Ham United last weekend, which has left some supporters feeling a little concerned.
It was probably Wolves’ worst display of the season so far, and the performances against Nottingham Forest and Burnley were not much better.
It will be interesting to see how Gary O’Neil sets up at Molineux. In the eyes of Molineux legend Andy Thompson, Wolves should go back to a back five.
It’s going to be an intriguing contest, with Chelsea very unpredictable this term.
Chris Sutton delivers ‘lacked intensity’ verdict and predicts Wolves v Chelsea
Wolves were really poor against West Ham. One of the most frustrating things about the performance was how careless Wolves were with the ball, with both Gary O’Neil and Max Kilman speaking about transitions after the game.
The defending at times was also really bad, with Toti Gomes in particular having a torrid time going up against Mohammed Kudus.
Sutton was less than impressed seeing Wolves against the Hammers. But he does reckon Wanderers will bounce back on Sunday to pick up a point.
Predicting a 1-1 draw, he told BBC Sport: “Wolves lacked intensity against West Ham last week, which makes me think they will bounce back here – but it really does depend on which Chelsea team turns up.
“And I’m sorry but I still have absolutely no idea what to expect from Mauricio Pochettino’s side so I am going to sit firmly on the fence with this one.”
Wolves can beat erratic Chelsea
Wolves fans have been less than impressed with the last few performances, but there will be some optimism heading into this game with Chelsea.
Wanderers tend to raise their game against the bigger clubs in the Premier League, and the game is at home and three of Wolves’ five league wins this season have come at Molineux. Two of those wins have come against top teams in Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Wolves can go level with Chelsea on points by beating them on Sunday, and that will be serving as fuel no doubt.
Gary O’Neil could welcome back Pedro Neto, who returned to full training this week. It would be a huge boost if he was to have any kind of involvement, against a side he scored a late winner against in this fixture in 2021/22.