Chelsea v Wolves: Trio can help land 14/1 Bet Builder

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·19 janvier 2025

Chelsea v Wolves: Trio can help land 14/1 Bet Builder

Enzo Maresca

Chelsea should beat Wolves in an entertaining clash that could feature both goals and cards, says Dave Tindall...

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Chelsea need to halt stuttering run

When Enzo Maresca was still insisting that Chelsea weren't in the title race despite them putting together a five-match winning streak to move within two points of leaders Liverpool, it seemed the Chelsea boss was just trying to take the heat off his side.

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But it turns out that he knew his youthful squad better than the bloke in the pub did. Fancy that, eh. Since pulling onto Liverpool's shoulders, Chelsea have stalled with three draws and two defeats in their last five to slip 10 off the pace.

It's been a frustrating run and this is the first time they've gone five without a win in the top flight since May 2023. Chelsea are still creating chances but the killer instinct has gone and, defensively, there are still holes.

And at a time when they need to kick-start their season, they don't want an injury to their most important player. That's the case ahead of this one though with Cole Palmer doubtful due to an ankle injury.

Pereira bounce has evaporated

Those who believe in the rhythms of new manager bounce can point to Vitor Pereira's early spell in charge at Wolves as a classic example of the genre.

The Portuguese boss made an instant impact with a 3-0 win at Leicester - all the goals coming in the first half - and then added a 2-0 home victory over Manchester United. A 2-2 draw against Spurs made it seven points out of nine.

But the bounce seems to have stopped. There's been no spring in the last two Premier League matches, Wolves suffering a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest and losing by that same margin at Newcastle. That said, those two opponents are two of the most in-form teams in the division.

Chelsea odds-against if conceding

The market suggests Chelsea's wobble ends here. They are 4/11 for the win, with Wolves 6/1 and The Draw 9/2.

Chelsea to win and Both teams to Score bumps those odds up to 13/10 and is a very viable option given that the Blues have conceded 13 times in their 10 home games so far. What's more, Wolves' tally of 17 away goals is the same as Manchester City's.

Palmer's involvement is clearly key but with the game taking place on Monday night he has more time to recover than if this was a Saturday 3pm-er. Note that the PL Fantasy game gives him a 75% of playing so it's likely he starts.

In further team news, Chelsea remain without defenders Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana but Trevoh Chalobah is in contention after being recalled from his loan spell at Crystal Palace.

The interesting twist here is past head-to-head form. Chelsea walloped Gary O'Neill's version 6-2 at Molineux earlier in the campaign but Wolves had won the previous three, including a 4-2 success at Stamford Bridge last season.

However, I think Chelsea do get back to winning ways and I'll take the 13/10 that they do so but ship a goal on the way to all three points.

Trio can feature in Bet Builder

As well as a doubt over Cole, it's not certain that Wolves' main goalscorer, Matheus Cunha, plays either due to some illness. He got a hat-trick in this fixture last season.

So I'll play a Bet Builder that involves a trio from the To Score Or To Be Shown A Card market.

Chelsea have received the second most yellow cards in the Premier League this season with Wolves ninth.

And, as for the Goals For and Against columns, Chelsea are the joint-third highest scorers in the top-flight this term while Wolves have conceded more goals than anyone.

Add in Wolves' good scoring record on the road and we have the potential for an action-packed game with both goals and cards.

First up is Nicolas Jackson. Despite being a frustrating character, his record of nine goals in 20 PL games is decent and one of those came against Wolves earlier this season. Add in six yellows and he has two genuine ways to either score or be shown a card.

Marc Cucurella has picked up seven yellows this season - more than any other Chelsea player - and two goals in his last five home games shows he can make an impact going forward too.

Finally, let's try combative Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes. He has six yellows this term and seems to pick them up against the better teams (Arsenal, Forest, Newcastle, Man City for example). With a couple of goals in his last 12, he also can land the bet in two ways.

I'll add a Chelsea win into the score or be carded player treble which takes us to around 14/1.