Chelsea are in a risk of losing their 3rd spot and also have a chance of slipping out of the Champions League spot after retaining it comfortably all over the season. The bad form of Chelsea is pretty evident and now they will be against a team with whom they have played two consecutive goal-less draws in the last two meetings. Will this game finally push Chelsea into the Top 4 race or can they still maintain the gap?
WHERE AND WHEN?
Venue: Stamford Bridge.
Date: Saturday, 7th May 2022.
Time: 15:00 (BST).
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Peter Bankes.
Assistant referee: James Mainwaring, Timothy Wood.
Fourth official: Robert Jones.
VAR: Jarred Gillett.
Assistant VAR: Natalie Aspinall.
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea now reaches the end of their season and the injury concerns have been one of their highlights of the season. Long term absentees, Ben Chilwell and Hudson-Odoi remain sidelined for the time and a call on Kante will be taken after the Frenchman was left out due to injury concern before the game at Goodison Park.
Wolves will be happy after the return of Ruben Neves but will still miss the services of Podence and Kilman, both of which are expected to make a return to the Wolves squad this season itself. Jimenez might see himself back in the starting XI after settling to the bench in the last Premier League game.
MATCH ANALYSIS
Chelsea are just being pushed down by the individual errors game after game. Lack of concentration in games is what fans are blaming for the poor patch of run which does not just seems to end. The Blues are being critically hit as the gap between them and Arsenal just remains 3 points, which accounts for just one more loss before Chelsea will be in trouble. Lack of intent in final third with errors at the back have been the summary of last few matches. The loss to Everton has started raising question of players’ mentality on field. Tuchel was too under put under the sword after missing the target tactically. To keep themselves as the favourites for the third spot and to start gaining momentum before the FA Cup final, Chelsea needs to capitalize in all the upcoming games.
Wolves, very similar to Chelsea, enter the match with an unwanted run in the league as they have lost their last 3 consecutive games. At a point, Wolves looked to challenge the top 4 contenders, but the recent results have just put them off the equation. But there is still a lot to play for Lage’s boys as they will hope for a European finish which is still a possibility as they sit 3 points behind West Ham. The game against Brighton was a poor display by the Wolves team as the team looked out of bounds completely and similar display at Stamford Bridge will definitely hurt them more. Fortunately for them, Chelsea have been very poor at Stamford Bridge this season, recording just 44% points at their backyard. Wolves have managed to keep the European giants silent in last 2 meetings but themselves also have not been able to produce something. With Chelsea’s off pitch talks hurting on pitch performances, Wolves might enjoy the sadistic pleasure this weekend.
PLAYER ANALYSIS
Antonio Rudiger
The final decision has been made as the German’s future at Chelsea is just going to extend till the end of this season. Rudiger’s run at Chelsea has been similar to a roller-coaster ride with the major up coming in the end as the rock-solid defender helped Chelsea lift the Champions League. Termed as Tuchel’s one of the most crucial players, Rudiger will be hoping to give his best to the fellow German manager by helping the Blues to finish the season on a high. Chelsea are being caught defensively often recently with individual errors letting the flood gates open. Rudiger will be on duty to help Tuchel keep clean sheets, something he has been well-known for, in the last few crucial matches of the season. One can even expect Rudiger to be on the end of crosses in the opposition boxes as Chelsea desperately will be in need of some goals with the attacking line not being able to score.
MUST READ: Antonio Rudiger replacements Chelsea could eye!
Raul Jimenez
Raul Jimenez has been the talking point at Wolves this season and the talks escalated with the Mexican dropped to bench in the last game by Bruno Lage. Jimenez has been the face of the Wolves team for years now as he has netted 15+ goals consecutively for the golden outfits in the last few seasons. This season has not been near to the record as the Mexican just has 6 goals in the bag and his inconsistency in front of goal led Bruno dropping him on the bench. The injury did hit Raul badly as the player has not been able to step-up in form since then but will be still looking to help his team. With talks of Wolves looking for a new striker, Jimenez has to take the lead back and enter a scoring spree for his team yet again. Against Chelsea, Jimenez will be looking to go face to face against the defensive line who have recently are being very error-prone, which the Mexican can very well utilize.
PREDICTED XI
Chelsea: Mendy; Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger; James, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Havertz, Lukaku.
Wolves: Sa; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Ait-Nouri; Jimenez, Hwang.
MUST READ:
– Hwang Hee-Chan: Unconventional yet Exciting – A unique addition to Wolves’ ranks
– Francisco Trincão: The Latest Addition to Wolves’ Terrifying Forward Line
