PREVIEW: Wolves chase season spark in Carabao Cup meeting with Blues | OneFootball

Basement club Wolves host World Champions Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, with the Old Gold desperate to reclaim a semblance of good fortune after a disastrous start to their season.

Ugly scenes marred the atmosphere at Molineux on Sunday following a 3-2 defeat to fellow relegation rivals Burnley.

There were clashes between players and supporters at full-time, with Jørgen Strand Larsen, José Sá and head coach Vítor Pereira all engaging in heated exchanges with the home crowd.

Despite the anger from fans, the Wolves board have backed Pereira in the aftermath of the defeat, which leaves the side six points adrift of 17th-placed Fulham. That stance has only heightened frustration within the fan base.

Wolves can take some solace from their Carabao Cup campaign so far, having reached the last 16. Chelsea now await: a team who have dazzled one week and stumbled the next, their entire season defined by inconsistency.

After impressive performances against Nottingham Forest and Ajax, Enzo Maresca’s side were beaten at Stamford Bridge by newly promoted Sunderland.

Chelsea looked second best throughout that contest and now sit ninth in the Premier League table. Their unpredictability might give Wolves something to target under the floodlights this Wednesday.

Pereira’s squad is finally emerging from an early-season injury crisis. Only Leon Chiwome remains unavailable, while Strand Larsen is fully fit again after an Achilles issue and expected to lead the line.

Chelsea, on the other hand, still carries a lengthy injury list that often comes with a bloated squad, but Liam Delap is fully fit again, in a big boost to the Blues.

Levi Colwill, Dário Essugo, Cole Palmer, and Benoît Badiashile remain sidelined. Malo Gusto returns from suspension and should start, while Wesley Fofana, Andrey Santos, Roméo Lavia, Jorrel Hato and Jamie Gittens are all pushing for involvement as Maresca shuffles his options in a bid to regain momentum.

Alejandro Garnacho scored in the weekend defeat and could keep his place, as Chelsea aim to finish the job early and focus attention on a challenging trip to third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Wolves must summon every spark they can muster if they are to restore pride amid a truly dismal start to the campaign. Defeat to Chelsea could plunge them even deeper into uncertainty, raising serious questions about where they go next.

The match will be broadcast live on the Sky Sports+ app in the UK, with a kick-off time of 19:45 [GMT].