Chelsea’s push for a Champions League spot continues away at bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.
After fighting back to earn a dramatic victory against West Ham United last weekend, the Blues exited the Carabao Cup in the week courtesy of a 4–2 aggregate defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Liam Rosenior’s rather cautious approach, which ensured Chelsea were still in the tie for the second leg’s duration, drew harsh criticism from pundits, as Enzo Maresca’s successor suffered just his second defeat since taking charge.
He remains perfect in the Premier League, though, despite the unconvincing nature of some performances. Three consecutive wins have left Chelsea fifth and competing fiercely with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Their upcoming opponents, Wolves, are almost sure of where they’ll be playing their football next season, especially after their uptick in form was stymied by back-to-back defeats. Rob Edwards’s side are rock bottom of the table and unlikely to move from their current position over the coming months.
It’ll take a miracle for them to survive, with 17th-place Nottingham Forest 18 points better off.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s preview of Saturday’s game.
What Time Does Wolves vs. Chelsea Kick-Off?
- Location: Wolverhampton, England
- Stadium: Molineux
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
- Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT
- Referee: Jarred Gillett
- VAR: Paul Howard
Wolves vs. Chelsea Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Wolves: 0 wins
- Chelsea: 5 wins
- Draws: 0
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Wolves (LLDWD) |
Chelsea (LWWWW) |
|---|---|
|
Wolves 0–2 Bournemouth |
Arsenal 1–0 Chelsea |
|
Man City 2–0 Wolves |
Chelsea 3–2 West Ham |
|
Wolves 0–0 Newcastle |
Napoli 2–3 Chelsea |
|
Wolves 6–1 Shrewsbury |
Crystal Palace 1–3 Chelsea |
|
Everton 1–1 Wolves |
Chelsea 1–0 Pafos |
How to Watch Wolves vs. Chelsea on TV, Live Stream
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Not televised – radio coverage available via BBC Radio 5 Live |
|
United States |
Peacock |
|
Canada |
DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 5 Canada |
|
Mexico |
Max Mexico |
Wolves Team News
Emmanuel Agbadou has departed the club after just a brief spell at Molineux, joining Beşiktaş after the January transfer window closed for Europe’s premier divisions. That means Edwards will have to make a change to his defence for Saturday’s game, with Agbadou starting against Bournemouth last time out.
The experienced Matt Doherty could come into Wolves’ back three, given that Toti Gomes isn’t expected to return from his hamstring injury until later this month. Edwards, though, will hope to have Ladislav Krejčí back.
New signing Adam Armstrong likely won‘t make his debut on Saturday due to a knock, so we should see Hwang Hee-chan operate alongside Tolu Arokodare against the Blues. Jørgen Strand Larsen completed his move to Crystal Palace on Deadline Day.
Wolves Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea
Wolves predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (3-5-2): Sá; Mosquera, S. Bueno, Krejćí; R. Gomes, Mané, André, J. Gomes, H. Bueno; Hwang, Arokadare.
Chelsea Team News
A difficult debut season for Jamie Gittens in west London may well have come to a premature end after it was revealed that he suffered a hamstring tear in last week’s win over West Ham. He’s out indefinitely.
Rosenior has said that Cole Palmer and Estêvão are both ready to play 90 minutes, but is unsure as to whether Reece James and Pedro Neto, both of whom missed the second leg at the Emirates, will be fit to play a part.
Dário Essugo, Roméo Lavia, Tosin Adarabioyo, Filip Jörgensen and Levi Colwill are also currently injured for the away side.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Wolves (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández; Estêvão, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro.
Wolves vs. Chelsea Score Prediction
The shackles should be off this Chelsea team after Tuesday’s defeat, but it must be said that the Blues are yet to put together a convincing 90 minutes against a top-flight opponents since Rosenior took the reins.
The new manager’s team have impressed in spurts, and they probably don’t need to be excellent for the game’s duration to triumph on Saturday.
Wolves weren’t exactly building momentum under Edwards, but he at least stopped the rot at the start of 2026. However, consecutive defeats have thrust them back to reality, and they’re unlikely to put up much resistance on Saturday.
