Wolves are set to take on Chelsea on Christmas Eve as Gary O’Neil hopes to cause an upset at the Molineux.
The manager will be looking to bounce back from Wolves’ poor 3-0 defeat to West Ham last weekend. Wolves are currently unbeaten at Molineux in their past seven games and will be looking to extend that run tomorrow.
While Chelsea aren’t where they want to be in the Premier League table, they managed to pick up a boost in the week as they progressed to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Here you can find everything you need to know about the Premier League fixture, from team news, predictions and what O’Neil’s thoughts are ahead of the tie.
Where to watch Wolves v Chelsea
The fixture will be broadcast live on Sky Sports as part of the festive TV games. Kick-off is at 13:00.
This is not the only Wolves game that will be broadcast live before the end of the year with O’Neil’s side set to play in front of the cameras one more time.
Team news for Wolves v Chelsea
O’Neil confirmed in the week that star players Jose Sa and Pedro Neto would both be back for the Molineux showdown on Sunday.
Neto’s return will be much to the relief of Wolves fans as the winger was sensational before his injury against Newcastle.
His introduction back into the squad will no doubt add an additional threat, while Sa will see the backline return to full strength.
However, O’Neil has cautioned Wolves fans on Neto’s return while another player is also on his way back to full fitness.
Gary O’Neil must solve three problems
Ahead of the game, there are multiple issues O’Neil must solve if Wolves are to get the desired result.
After many subpar performances in succession, the manager must ensure that his side is back to their best at Molineux.
From selection dilemmas to defensive fragilities, you can find out everything here.
Pundits make their predictions
Paul Merson and Chris Sutton have made their predictions ahead of the game.
Both thought Wolves were poor last weekend as Sutton cites that the visitors “lacked intensity”.
However, neither think that the hosts will put in another poor showing on Christmas Eve. To see what they have predicted you can click here and here.
Gary O’Neil “wary” of Chelsea threat
While Chelsea may reside 10th in the Premier League table, three points off Wolves, the manager remains wary of the threat they face.
The Blues have defeated Newcastle, Sheffield United and Brighton in recent games and have scored in eight of their last nine games.
However, despite O’Neil acknowledging that the Christmas Eve fixture possesses mixed feelings amongst the fanbase, he believes that the atmosphere will still be fantastic if his side performs.
O’Neil told Wolves: “They’ve tried to be the dominant team in every game so far, even against the big lads, as you’d expect with the quality they have. That doesn’t mean that it’s easier, just because we’ve managed to win a couple against the good sides, it’s still a real tough one.
“They’re not a team you’d choose to play, but we understand the challenge and the lads have responded well to the challenges so far and we need them to respond again. It will need to be a complete performance from us, which we’ve managed to produce a couple of times already at home against some of the big sides, but it will need to be again.
“I know the lads are looking forward to it, as am I, and with it being Christmas Eve, there was a mixed feeling around supporters with there being a football match on Christmas Eve, but when it’s on and we’re in the stadium, if we can start the performance in the right way, I’m sure the atmosphere will be absolutely fantastic, like it always is.”