Wolverhampton Wanderers V Chelsea Betting: Saturday, 20th February

Wolverhampton Wanderers V Chelsea

Saturday, 20^th February – 15:00 GMT

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 15th

Recent Form: LDDLW

Wolves fans will be surprisingly optimistic about their teams chances on Saturday as they welcome league leaders Chelsea to Molineux knowing that they beat Tottenham Hotspur in their previous fixture. Very few gave them much hope of winning that game, which does include us, but they did, although while they may have bags of optimism after that scalp, Chelsea will probably prove a step too far for Mick MCCarthy’s men. 

Mick McCarthy won’t care in the slightest where the points come from just that they do. However, even he will admit that beating Tottenham Hotspur in their last fixture, a side challenging for the top four, is a sublime result and a credit to his players and staff. It was also a league double over Tottenham after Wolves earned a 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane a few months ago. However, while the result did give the players something to brag about, the most important factor was the three points lifted the club out of the bottom three and onto safe ground, with Wolves now a point above the drop zone. On the same token, however, defeat on Saturday, one which is expected, would leave Wolves vulnerable to dropping back into the relegation zone once again.  

If we’re completely honest, Wolves are fairing a whole lot better than we initially expected and the credit has to go to the players and the manager. However, the problem which is there for all to see is that Wolves don’t pick up enough points in a block basis, which, in other words, means they simply aren’t consistent enough. They do, without a shadow of a doubt, try their utmost in games and give 100% for the cause, but Wolves are a side prone to lengthy spells without picking up too many points, whilst they’ve only managed back-to-back wins once this season.

Scoring is also a big cause for concern for Mick McCarthy as his forward line looks extremely blunt and predictable, with basically Kevin Doyle leading the line on his lonesome. The Irishman is battle-hardened and does work his socks off but he will need plenty of support against a strong Chelsea defence. After all, Wolves aren’t even averaging one-goal-a-game at home this season. On just three occasions have they scored two or more goals at Molineux, while they’ve failed to even find the net in six of their thirteen home league fixtures. It’s a statistic which won’t go down well with wolves support but it’s a statistic which could stretch further after the visit of table-topping Chelsea.  

For Wolves to even stand half-a-chance of nicking a point in this fixture, Mick McCarthy will need to be far more adventurous then he has been in recent weeks. He prefers to play with a lone striker as he likes to pack the midfield. However, that looks a catastrophic tactic against a strong Chelsea midfield, one which can overrun just about any midfield in the world. He needs to go with two up front and use the wings, especially now that Chelsea don’t have Ashley Cole at full-back. The full-back areas are where Chelsea could be exposed and it’s an area Mick McCarthy will need to look into as a possible Chelsea weak spot.

Chelsea

League Position: 1st

Recent Form: WWDWL

It’s back to the drawing board for Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea as they fell to just their fourth defeat of the season when losing 2-1 at Goodison Park a little over a week ago. It was a really poor performance from a usually consistent Chelsea, even on the road, but that was their fourth away defeat of the campaign and while Wolves represents an easy enough assignment on paper, Chelsea will still need to have their wits about them and apply themselves in the proper, professional manner if they are to regain that winning feeling at the first time of asking. 

Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea were given a dose of the blues against Everton in their last league fixture, falling to a bitter 2-1 defeat, It was a game Chelsea were second best in for most parts, which isn’t something you hear a lot about Chelsea, and they duly got they deserved which was nothing. While they did briefly threaten, even taking the lead midway through the first half, Everton were by far and away the superior side while Chelsea remained relatively lethargic throughout, spending the majority of the second period on the back foot. It was actually a worring sight as we’ve not seen the Chelsea midfield overrun and out battled like that for quite some time. However, Wolves is arguably the perfect opponent to exact some domineering tactics in the midfield and regain some of the confidence that might have been lost with that disappointing defeat and poor display.

They did respond well though, when winning 4-1 at the weekend against Championship side Preston, although even then they were made to work far harder for the win then they should have. Cardiff even took a 1-1 draw into half-time with them, which just goes to show that perhaps the Everton defeat is still hanging over them. They did eventually get their act together and were comfortable winners come the final whistle, but they weren’t at their convincing best once again so perhaps Chelsea aren’t quite worth their short odds despite the inferiority of their opponents.

Still, while there are small niggle of concerns surrounding Chelsea at this moment in time, we mustn’t forget who they are playing and that Carlo Ancelotti still possess some of the worlds best players. Frank Lampard will look for an improved performance in himself after disappointing at Everton while Didier Drogba has been a right handful in just about every game he’s featured in this season and will surely cause a Wolves defence which has conceded seven more than they’ve scored at home all sorts of problems.

Match Verdict: Chelsea to WIN – 1.36 Ladbrokes

While Chelsea haven’t been at their best of late, probably the worst we’ve seen them for quite some time actually, they should still have far more in the tank to see off an average Wolves. The Chelsea midfield does need to show a lot more vigour in the centre of the park mind, and they will need to stamp their authority by keeping the ball for large periods of the game. Wolves will give it their all just like they always do but Chelsea have too many quality players on the pitch to oppose them against what is a weak Wolves side which will do well to score against Chelsea.

Match Odds:

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 11.00 Bet365

Draw – 5.50 BlueSquare

Chelsea – 1.36 Ladbrokes

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Chelsea to WIN to NIL – 2.10 BlueSquare