Wolves v Chelsea: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Enzo Maresca may have to wait a little longer to earn his first Premier League win as Chelsea boss as Wolves can frustrate the Blues at Molineux on Sunday.

Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by champions Manchester City on the opening weekend, but they saw off Servette in their UEFA Conference League qualifier in midweek.

However, Wolves, who went down 2-0 at Arsenal last week, will present a sterner test than the Swiss side and Maresca may have to settle for just a point from the visit to the Black Country.

Wolves v Chelsea betting tips and predictions

Match result - Draw - 3/1

Wolves have been handed a difficult start to the new season as this home clash with Chelsea follows on from an opening-weekend trip to last season's runners-up Arsenal.

However, despite going down to a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates, O'Neil's men acquitted themselves well in north London and caused the Gunners problems at times.

O'Neil will have seen enough from his players to think they can get something off Chelsea, who remain very much a work in progress under new boss Maresca, who is trying to work out what his best side as he wrestles with their hugely-bloated squad.

Maresca this week has shown his ruthless side by axing former first-team regulars Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell from his plans, but he still has a plethora of options and fitting all of the Blues' talented and expensively-signed players into his line-up remains a tough task.

Therefore, with the visitors still scratching around for continuity and rhythm, Wolves can prosper and pick up a draw at what should be a hostile Molineux.

O'Neil's side managed a good return of nine attempts against Arsenal, three of which were on target, while they also had 47 per cent possession at the Emirates - a more than respectable figure against Mikel Arteta's side.

Those stats suggest they can cause Chelsea issues on Sunday, while it is also worth remembering they created some big chances last week, particularly when debutant Jorgen Strand Larsen saw a header well saved by David Raya and then later when sub Matheus Cunha should have done better when in a good shooting position.

Under 2.5 goals - 13/10

There were under 2.5 goals in both sides' opening fixtures, while that was also the case for Chelsea in midweek when they won 2-0 in Europe.

Wolves' xG against Arsenal was 0.5, while Chelsea fared a little better against City, ending the match with an xG of 1.0.

They are both more than capable of creating chances but there may not be loads of goalmouth action at Molineux as O'Neil is expected to set his side up to try and frustrate the visitors, who may struggle to get going as they continue to adjust to their influx of new players and the manager's style and tactics.

Jorgen Strand Larsen to score anytime - 7/2

Larsen caught the eye for Wolves last weekend and was unfortunate not to seal his Premier League debut with a goal against the Gunners.

He is expected to be deployed in the central striker role again and will look to punish a Chelsea backline that has been fragile since Maresca took over as they try to adapt to his preferred style of play, notably attempting to play out from the back.

In the early weeks of the former Leicester boss' reign, that approach is bound to lead to mistakes and Larsen, who scored an impressive 13 goals for Celta Vigo last season in Spain, should be on hand to take advantage of any slip-ups.

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Wolves v Chelsea odds

Wolves - 10/3
Draw - 3/1
Chelsea - 3/4

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.