Wolves vs Chelsea tips: Betting preview with 3 predictions
Gary O’Neil’s side have a good record at home, however, so this match is not easy to call.
Chelsea are the favourites with the best betting sites, but do not count Wolves out of this one.
Wolves vs Chelsea tips: Hosts can frustrate Blues
Chelsea have been inconsistent so far this season. There is something of the Jekyll and Hyde about them. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have turned in some superb showings and some dismal displays.
Given they have the youngest squad in the Premier League, it is no surprise that Chelsea can veer from the sublime to the ridiculous – sometimes within the same game.
The Blues have only won back-to-back league matches once this season. They have lost two on the bounce on just one occasion too. Chelsea seldom repeat a result.
A win here would be their second in succession in the top flight following a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United last weekend. They then eliminated Newcastle United from the EFL Cup on penalties on Tuesday.
However, this does not look like a straightforward assignment. Wolves have caused problems for numerous visitors to Molineux this season.
They beat Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in front of their own fans, while Aston Villa and Newcastle United could only manage a point at Wolves’ home ground.
Gary O’Neil’s side have not lost on familiar territory since mid-September, when they were still finding their feet under their new manager. Wolves can avoid defeat again on Sunday.
Tight first half to be expected
Chelsea have grown accustomed to going in at half time with the score level. That has happened in 13 of their 17 Premier League games up to now – a remarkable 76.5 per cent, by far the highest figure in the division.
It is a particularly prominent feature of their away games – seven out of eight have had nothing separating the two teams at the interval.
We could see the same here. Wolves have looked to start home matches quickly this season. That does not necessarily mean they aim to dominate possession from the get-go, though.
Indeed, we could perhaps see Wolves cede control of the ball for periods of this game, but we can expect O’Neil’s men to be aggressive when Chelsea are in possession. Wolves will press high up the pitch and look to force turnovers in dangerous areas.
Yet Chelsea will be aware of Wolves’ favoured strategy and Pochettino will implore his players to avoid falling into the trap, especially early on. As such, we’re backing the first half to end in stalemate at 23/20 on betting apps.
Hwang can make mark against Chelsea
Wolves hope to have Pedro Neto available again soon, with O’Neil suggesting that he could be included in the matchday squad on Christmas Eve.
Wolves have missed the Portugal international, who still leads the way (alongside Mohamed Salah and Kieran Trippier) for assists with seven.
He is not Wolves’ only attacking threat, though. Matheus Cunha has scored three goals in his last five appearances, while Hwang Hee-chan has found the back of the net eight times this season and football betting sites make the latter 10/3 to add to that tally.
The South Korea international excels on the counter-attack, something Chelsea have struggled to deal with at times this season.
Moreover, Hwang relishes the big games – he has scored against Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle – and he can make an impression here.
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A London-based football specialist, Greg Lea has written for multiple top publications including The Guardian and ESPN with coverage of the Premier League, Champions League and World Cup. He contributes football betting tips to The Independent.
