Premier League: Can Wolves Keep Maresca Waiting?

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea

Both teams are looking for a first point in the new Premier League campaign when Wolves host Chelsea at Molineux on Sunday; and they’ll each rate their chances of winning all three.

Gary O’Neil’s Wolves lost their season opener to Arsenal 2-0, last week, while Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea went down by the same score line at home to the champions Manchester City.

Neither club could have had a more difficult start, and now they have a real chance to get points on the board, and this game is a tough one to call.

Wolves vs Chelsea pitches together two teams in a period of transition; while the All Golds are in evolution mode, the Blues have been in a full on revolution for two years.

Maresca’s biggest task is to mould a winning team from a huge dysfunctional squad, but he will be under no illusions that he is expected to challenge for honours and the last thing he needs is back-to- back defeats to open his tenure.

The Premier League 2024 betting odds say he should be okay … but Wolves will have other ideas.            

Talking Points

Cunha set for Wolves return

25-year-old Brazil striker Matheus Cunha settled quickly at Molineux last season and got better as the campaign went on, eventually scoring 12 goals from 32 appearances, including a hat-trick against Sunday’s opponents.

He’s a versatile forward who can lead the line, play as a second striker or even out wide as he uses his pace and strength to unsettle defences.

Cunha made a substitute appearance in Wolves’ opener against Arsenal which was a huge boost—for the player and his boss—after he sustained an injury in the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

He looked sharp against the Gunners and was only denied a goal by the excellent David Raya, who also made big saves from new boy Jorgen Strand Larsen and Pablo Sarabia.

Despite the loss, it was a decent performance by O’Neil’s side who had 47 per cent possession and nine shots—with three on target—and the head coach was happy how his team coped having sold two key players over the summer.

Wolves transferred winger Pedro Neto to Chelsea for the princely sum of £54 million and centre back Max Kilman to West Ham United for £40 million, and has replaced the outgoings with young up and coming players, turning a profit for the club.

As well as Larsen, on loan from Celta Vigo, Tommy Doyle has arrived from Manchester City and Rodrigo Gomez from Braga for a combined fee of £17 million.

All three are in contention for a place against Chelsea.      

Will we see a start for Neto?

Chelsea new boy Neto came off the bench during Chelsea’s loss to Manchester City, and he will be keen to start against his old mates on Sunday.

In his five years at Molineux, Neto grew as a player and has become a fan favourite due to his playmaking abilities.

His quick feet and superb delivery make him the perfect wide-man but Neto will have competition for a place in the bloated Chelsea squad. The experienced Raheem Sterling has just been frozen out while another Portuguese star, Joao Felix, has just arrived at Stamford Bridge and after a fruitful pre-season with Atletico Madrid—he too will be pushing for a start for the Blues.

One man who is guaranteed his place is attacking midfielder Cole Palmer, who produced a bunch of Premier League 2024 highlights at the Bridge following his £40 million transfer from Manchester City last year.

Palmer scored 22 goals and assisted 17 as he was named Chelsea’s player of the season before impressing hugely for England at Euro 2024. However, Chelsea will be without skipper Reece James; the influential wing-back is serving the second of a two-match suspension. 

History

The Blues have had the better of the head-to-head results since 2003, with 12 wins to six.

However, they have lost the last three meetings, including a 2-1 loss at Molineux last season before being thumped 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in February as Matheus Cunha plundered his hat-trick.

Betting Tip

With Wolves at SBOTOP odds of 3.86 to win, the draw priced at 3.43 and Chelsea at 1.71, all three results are well in play but there is a clear blue hue. Maresca would dearly love to win his first game as Chelsea boss but Molineux is a difficult place to visit and O’Neil showed last season just how well he can set up his team.

Chelsea will have to work hard for anything they get on Sunday and I’m not convinced they will succeed; so I’m backing a game with goals … but not an avalanche.

 

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