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Chelsea vs Wolves predictions
- Wolves-draw double chance – 13/10 with William Hill
- Pedro Neto to score or assist – 8/5 with bet365
- Over 2.5 Chelsea cards – 10/11 with Unibet
Chelsea and Wolves have both been left licking their wounds after tough defeats in midweek, but one side looks better equipped than the other to put that disappointment behind them quickly (2pm).
The Blues were dismantled by Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday night, suffering a 4-1 loss to the team they’ll face in the final of the EFL Cup later this month.
Although his team were left feeling hard done when it came to VAR decisions, Mauricio Pochettino had no complaints about the result as his men slipped to their ninth league defeat of the season.
The result leaves Chelsea 12 points off the top four and drifting in the Premier League odds to secure Champions League qualification this season.
Wolves are just two points behind Sunday’s opponents, which can be interpreted either as a mark of how well Gary O’Neil’s side have done this season or how badly Chelsea have performed, depending on your outlook.
Wolves came agonisingly close to completing a remarkable comeback against Manchester United in midweek. Trailing 3-1 entering the final 15 minutes, Wolves scored twice to level the game, only for Kobbie Mainoo to net a 97th-minute winner for United.
That 4-3 defeat ended a seven-game unbeaten run for Wolves, a sequence which includes a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Molineux on Christmas Eve.
Wolves warranted the win that day and the value on betting sites lies with the visitors getting something against an inconsistent Chelsea team.
Wolves can respond in right manner
Wolves had had the better of this fixture in recent times, winning the last two encounters, while they’ve lost just one of the last seven against Chelsea.
Football betting sites expect the Blues to put a dent in that recent good record for Wolves, making the hosts odds-on for victory, while Wolves are a 9/2 chance.
Those odds are perhaps justifiable when examining Chelsea’s recent results at home with Pochettino’s side winning eight of the last 10 at Stamford Bridge, including an EFL Cup success over Newcastle on penalties.
But a deeper examination of those results, taking out the big wins over Championship teams in the cups, weakens the argument for Chelsea being such strong favourites. They rode their luck to see off Brighton and Crystal Palace and needed a penalty to dispatch Fulham, while their last home game ended in a goalless draw with Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
Chelsea have been tough to trust all season and even with big summer signing Christopher Nkunku now back in the line-up, their woeful defensive display at Liverpool is another red flag.
The Blues allowed Liverpool 28 shots on goal, the joint-most they’ve ever faced in a Premier League game and only five sides have allowed more shots on target than Pochettino’s side this season.
Wolves won’t pose the same kind of attacking threat Liverpool did but they have players capable of hurting Chelsea if they get the opportunity in Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto.
O’Neil’s men let themselves down with their first half showing against Manchester United, who found it too easy to play through the lines.
While the second half was more like what we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Wolves under O’Neil, they’ll need to be more organised at Stamford Bridge, which they’ve shown they can be.
They’d kept a clean sheet in three of their five outings prior to the United game, while results on the road have been better of later with Wolves unbeaten in four on their travels.
Gambling sites may favour a Chelsea team that’s better on paper, but they’ve lacked the consistency to justify backing them as a short-priced favourite and preference goes to Wolves to avoid defeat at the Bridge.
Chelsea vs Wolves Tip 1: Wolves-draw double chance – 13/10 with William Hill
Neto can make himself a nuisance
Chelsea defenders had a torrid night at Anfield and won’t relish coming up against the in-form Neto on Sunday afternoon.
The Portuguese is having a brilliant season and looks back to the levels he was showing before a hamstring injury interrupted his campaign in October.
Eager to make sure he’s part of Portugal’s squad at this summer’s European Championships after missing out on the 2022 World Cup through injury, there’s unlikely to be much let up from Neto between now and the end of the season.
The 23-year-old has scored in each of Wolves’ last two games, taking his tally for the season to three. Where he’s really shone is with his goal-making talents, registering eight assists across all competitions.
Only three players have more assists in the league than Neto, who has the best average assists per 90 minutes figure (0.59) in the division.
Neto has been involved in just over 27 per cent of all Wolves’ league goals this season and could add to his tally against a fragile Chelsea defence.
Chelsea vs Wolves Tip 2: Pedro Neto to score or assist any time – 8/5 with bet365
Blues collecting plenty of cards
If the top four was decided on cards accumulated, Chelsea would be shoe-ins having collected a league-high 73 cards (70 yellows, three reds) this season.
Wolves would also be in the mix with 61 cards (58 yellows, three reds) to their name and referee Tim Robinson may have his hands full with these two sides, who combined for eight yellows in the reverse fixture.
Betting apps make Wolves favourites to pick up the most cards, but it was Chelsea who won that particular battle at Molineux, collecting five cards, and it’s with the Blues where the value may lie in the card market.
Chelsea have played 22 league games this season and in 16 of those matches they’ve collected three or more cards, pushing us towards over 2.5 Chelsea cards at 10/11 with Unibet.
Robinson has taken charge of two of those league games and on both occasions has shown Chelsea at least three cards.
Chelsea vs Wolves Tip 3: Over 2.5 Chelsea cards – 10/11 with Unibet
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
