Wolves are hoping to cause an upset when they take on the Premier League leaders in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round clash against Chelsea.
A place in the quarter-final is up for grabs and both teams are unlikely to take the game lightly despite Chelsea’s title chase.
With an eight-point lead in the Premier League table, Chelsea can concentrate fully on the FA Cup competition too and will be desperate to add further silverware to their cabinet.
Wolves have struggled to gain form under Paul Lambert in the Championship but they have not been shy in the FA Cup competition so far.
They knocked out both Liverpool and Stoke to reach the final 16 so they may have another giant killer performance left in them yet.
TEAM NEWS
WOLVES
Wolves will be expected to name their strongest XI as Lambert has few injury concerns. Key figures Richard Stearman, Helder Costa, and Andreas Weimann are all in with a chance of selection.
Former Liverpool academy star Conor Coady is also expected to retain his place and he will be hoping to progress ahead of his old club rivals.
CHELSEA
Antonio Conte has been given a boost as skipper John Terry has been named fit to play in the clash despite missing the Burnley game with a slight ankle injury.
Terry is likely to replace David Luiz who has been playing through injury since Christmas and Conte could make several changes to his starting XI in order to rest key players.
Nathan Ake could also start in defence ahead of Marcos Alonso after returning to Stamford Bridge following a successful loan spell at Bournemouth.
First team stars Cesc Fabregas, Michy Batshuayi and Asmir Begovic are all expected to start.
MATCH FACTS
- The last time the two teams played each other was in September 2012.
- Chelsea ran out as resounding winners when they recorded a 6-0 victory in the League Cup
- Victor Moses, Fernando Torres, Oriol Romeu, Juan Mata, Ryan Bertrand and Gary Cahill were the scorers for Chelsea that day. Only Cahill remains in the squad today.
- Wolves have not beaten Chelsea since January 2011 when they produced a slim 1-0 victory over the Londoners in the Premier League
KEY MEN
WOLVES
HELDER COSTA:The tricky forward caused Liverpool’s experienced defenders a lot of problems and Wolves will be hoping he produces a similar performance against the “champions elect.” He’s already netted 10 goals this season and he scored against Stoke earlier on in the competition. He is their talisman up front and they will need him in top form if he is to get through John Terry and co.
CHELSEA
CESC FABREGAS:The Spaniard has found himself out of favour at Chelsea under Conte but he always poses a threat when he’s given an opportunity. He’s likely going to start and his intricate passing and movement could cause Wolves a whole ranger of problems in defence. If you’re into betting, it wouldn’t be a bad shout to put Fabregas down for an assist.
PREDICTION
After a disappointing performance on the weekend, Conte will be keen for his players to bounce back and make their mark. Terry and Fabregas could have important games and their experience is likely to give Chelsea the edge over their Championship opponents. Wolves risk
Wolves 0-4 Chelsea
