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Enzo Maresca will be looking to avoid any sort of new manager bounce when Wolves travel down to face Chelsea in the Premier League
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The first task for Vitor Pereira's successor awaits them at Stamford Bridge as Wolverhampton Wanderers travel to the capital city for a Premier League clash with Chelsea.
Wolves, currently rooted to the bottom of the table, will be playing their first match since Pereira’s sacking, while Chelsea are still recovering from a demanding near-3,000-mile trip to Azerbaijan—a journey that yielded less than they had hoped for.
Despite the contrasting European pedigrees of Chelsea and Qarabag, the Azerbaijani side nearly pulled off a stunning Champions League upset against the 2012 and 2021 winners on Wednesday night. Alejandro Garnacho ultimately rescued Chelsea, equalizing after Leandro Andrade and Marko Jankovic had overturned Estevao Willian’s opener. However, the 2-2 draw left little reason for celebration in the Chelsea dressing room, as Enzo Maresca’s side squandered a prime opportunity to edge closer to the coveted last-16 spots.
Chelsea’s inconsistency in the Premier League continues, with their last six outings yielding three wins and three defeats. They arguably should have beaten Tottenham Hotspur by a wider margin than their narrow 1-0 win in North London last weekend. Nevertheless, Joao Pedro’s goal was enough to secure victory over a toothless Spurs side, marking Chelsea’s third win in four league matches and lifting them to seventh in the table on goal difference ahead of Manchester United.
While Maresca’s men may not be living up to their preseason billing as potential title challengers, they are rarely found trailing in matches. In stark contrast, Wolves have spent a league-high 59.1% of their games this season playing from behind—a damning statistic that contributed to Pereira’s dismissal after last weekend’s demoralizing 3-0 loss to Fulham. That defeat marked Wolves’ fourth consecutive loss in all competitions and their third straight in the Premier League, where they are still searching for their first win of the season.
Now eight points from safety and certain to remain in 20th place over the international break, Wolves have yet to appoint a permanent replacement for Pereira. Middlesbrough manager Rob Edwards is reportedly the frontrunner, ahead of former boss Gary O’Neil. In the meantime, Under-21s coach James Collins and Under-18s boss Richard Walker are overseeing preparations for Saturday’s match, where Wolves will attempt to end a 14-game winless streak in the Premier League—a run stretching back to April.
Wolves came close to upsetting Chelsea in the EFL Cup as recently as October 29, but Maresca’s side ultimately prevailed 4-3 in another chaotic encounter between these two teams. Remarkably, their last four meetings have produced a staggering 25 goals.
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