Chelsea will be looking to return to winning ways when they face Wolves at Molineux in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
It has been a fairly promising start to Liam Rosenior’s tenure as Chelsea manager; however, his side will be eager to bounce back from their EFL Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday night, having lost 1-0 at the Emirates and 4-2 on aggregate.
The Blues will quickly shift their focus back to Premier League action, aiming for a fourth consecutive league win.
After staging a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to beat London rivals West Ham 3-2 last weekend, Chelsea head into the latest round of top-flight action occupying 5th place in the standings.
Wolves, by contrast, remain stuck at the foot of the table following last week’s 2-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.
That setback was another blow to the Old Golds’ already slim survival hopes, as they now sit a daunting 18 points adrift of automatic safety.
How the bookies view it: Chelsea to chalk up another victory
Chelsea come into this clash as odds-on 8/11 favourites with Ladbrokes, and that price looks well justified considering Wolves’ current struggles and Chelsea's recent run of good form in the Premier League.
Wolves are as big as 4/1 on bet365 to claim what would just be their second Premier League win of the season, while an all-square affair at Molineux is also deemed unlikely at 3/1 with the same firm.
Head to head: History against the hosts
Across 119 meetings in all competitions, Chelsea have recorded 46 wins to Wolves’ 43, with the other 30 matches ending all square.
The Blues cruised to a 3-0 victory in this season's reverse fixture, and the same scoreline on Saturday can be backed at 14/1 on bet365.
Players to watch: More joy for Joao?
With three goals and one assist across his last three Premier League appearances, Joao Pedro looks nicely priced to register another goal involvement at Molineux at even money (1/1) on Paddy Power.
Having attempted two or more shots in five of his last seven top-flight outings, Wolves’ Mateus Mane merits support to repeat the trick this weekend at 4/5 on Betway.
Predicted line-ups
One positive for Wolves amongst their current plight is that they have a relatively clean bill of health, with Toti Gomez the only confirmed absentee this weekend.
As was the case in midweek, Chelsea will once again be unable to call upon the services of Dario Essugo, Jamie Gittens, Levi Colwill, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Romeo Lavia and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Wolves: Sa, Mosquera, S. Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, Andre, Mane, J. Gomes, H. Bueno; Hwang, Armstrong
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro
Anything else catch the eye?
While it's not the most eye-catching of prices, Chelsea represent decent value to score two or more goals on Saturday afternoon at 7/10 on Ladbrokes.
The Blues have made the net bulge at least twice in five of their last eight Premier League assignments, including each of their three fixtures under new manager Rosenior's guidance.
That doesn't bode well for a rock-bottom Wolves side that have shipped two or more goals in eight of their 12 top-flight home games this term.
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