By WOLVERHAMPTON, England — Wolverhampton Wanderers will host Chelsea in a Premier League match on Saturday, seeking to rebound from their opening day defeat.
Wolves lost two-nil to Arsenal last weekend, marking their fourth consecutive opening day defeat. The team now aims for their first second-game victory in a Premier League campaign since two thousand eleven to twelve.
Gary O’Neil, Wolves’ head coach, will likely remind his players of their two-one victory against Chelsea in the corresponding fixture last season. That win contributed to Wolves’ first league double over Chelsea since the nineteen seventy-four to seventy-five season.
Wolves have a strong recent record against Chelsea, losing only once in their last eight encounters across all competitions. At home, they are undefeated in their last four meetings with the London club.
Chelsea, under new manager Enzo Maresca, face their own challenges. The club has been dealing with internal discord, highlighted by Raheem Sterling’s public statement calling for “clarity” after being left out of the squad in their recent match against Manchester City.
Chelsea lost two-nil to Manchester City in their season opener. The Blues have never lost their first two Premier League games in a season. However, they have conceded in each of their last sixteen away league matches, their longest such streak since a run of twenty-four between January nineteen ninety-three and February nineteen ninety-four.
Key players to watch include Matheus Cunha, who scored a hat-trick for Wolves in their last meeting with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. For Chelsea, Cole Palmer, the PFA Young Player of the Year for two thousand twenty-three to twenty-four, will be looking to open his scoring account for the new season.
Wolves have received at least one first-half booking in each of their last nine league games, a trend that may continue in this fixture.
The match presents an opportunity for both teams to secure their first points of the season and set a positive tone for their respective campaigns.
