Wolves vs Chelsea matchday preview, Team news and predicted line-up.

Wolves struggle in attack

Despite dominating, for the most part, Wolves came away from their weekend West Midlands Derby empty-handed as a stoppage-time penalty handed Aston Villa the three points on Saturday.

With star striker Raul Jimenez ruled out for a lengthy period, there is a concern around Molineux that they won’t be able to replace his goals, and that has turned out to be the case over the last couple of matches.

They have failed to score against Liverpool and Aston Villa and even with Jimenez fit they were struggling to hit the back of the net. Only four teams have scored fewer goals than them this season, and we could be in for another low scoring affair at Molineux on Tuesday.

Blues unbeaten run comes to an end

Chelsea failed to score for the second time in three Premier League games as they slumped to a drab 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park, ending their nine-match unbeaten streak in the league and giving Spurs and Liverpool the chance to open up a gap at the top of the table.

While they did threaten the Everton goal on occasion, the Blues struggled to find their attacking stride on Saturday. They lacked a certain fluidity that has been present for much of this season, and that’s worth considering as we head into this hectic festive schedule.

Goals at a premium at Molineux

With both teams struggling for goals at the weekend and facing very little recovery time we expect another rather tame match at Molineux. Each of Wolverhampton’s last five home league games have featured fewer than three goals, while three of Chelsea’s last four in the league have as well. Backing under 2.5 goals looks the choice pick here.

We’re also opting for the spoils to be shared with our correct score prediction. Wolves have averaged 0.91 goals per game this season and have played out two 1-1 draws in their last four home games, so that’s our choice for the final scoreline.

Wolves injuries and team news

Joao Moutinho is the only fresh selection issue for Nuno Espirito Santo after the Portuguese midfielder was sent off against Aston Villa, with Ruben Neves set to deputise.

Raul Jimenez and Jonny are both still sidelined, and with Wolves possibly switching to a 4-2-3-1 Willy Boly could return to the starting lineup.

Chelsea injuries and team news

Christian Pulisic is a doubt for this game, leaving Kai Havertz to continue operating on the right flank in place of the injured Hakim Ziyech.

Frank Lampard’s only other injury problem is the continued absence of Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Stats to know (via Opta):

Edouard Mendy had kept five Premier League clean sheets in eight matches before the Blues travelled to Goodison Park.

Our loss to Everton was the team's first Premier League loss since September.

Wolves have won only 1 of their last 5 league games and have failed to score in 3 of those games.

Chelsea won 5-2 on our last trip to the Molineux stadium - Tammy Abraham scored a hattrick.

Predicted line-up

Match Predictions

Ben Knapton, SportsMole: Wolves 1-2 Chelsea

"Both sides could only be undone by penalties in their last outings, and Wolves should make this a much closer affair compared to last season's thrashing in front of their own fans. However, Lampard's side can hurt almost any team going forward - even without any natural wingers in the side - and we expect the Blues to come out on top against an inconsistent Wolves outfit this week."

Taha Memon, Tribuna.com: Wolves 0-2 Chelsea

"With no Raul Jimenez and now no Moutinho for this game, I can't see Wolves scoring against a disciplined Chelsea defence that has made only one error in the last 10 Premier League games. I expect Lampard's men to get back to winning ways away from home with a 2-0 win."