Much of the Chelsea news continues to revolve around transfers, most of which are departures as the club look to almost halve their current squad. It’s a buzz that doesn’t help us focus on the pitch, given all the last-minute deals (and scrambles) we’ll be forced to make if we’re to give manager Enzo Maresca an easier time dealing with bruised egos over matters far beyond his own control, and others that still fall under it.

Nevertheless, a trip to Molineux must be made on Sunday. It is not normally a trip Chelsea relish, but perhaps a player like Pedro Neto who knows them intrinsically can ensure we get our first three points of the Premier League season.

Date / Time: August 25, 2024, 2:00 PM BST; 9:00 AM EST; 6:30 PM IST
Location: Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Referee: Darren England (on field); John Brooks (VAR)
Prediction: Drizzle and a moderate breeze

On TV: no (UK); no (US); no (India); Canal+ Sport 4, SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport MaXimo 2 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: no (UK); Peacock (US); no (India); DStv Now (NGA)

Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images

Wolverhampton Team News: After managing to stay in the Premier League for a sixth consecutive season, Wolves decided not to shake things up with too many signings. Although former SC Braga winger Rodrigo Gomes was their most expensive signing this season, the one that attracted the most attention was their capture from Chelsea for young Brazilian full-back Pedro Lima from Sport Recife.

Gomes was a starter in their season opener against Arsenal in the Premier League, but he was unable to make much of an impact as they lost 2-0 to last season’s runners-up Arsenal.

Manager Gary O’Neil will be hoping his team can maintain their great record against Chelsea, which unfortunately isn’t limited to Molineux. He can’t count on right-back Nelson Semedo, who is suspended; nor left winger Enso Gonzalez, and strikers Leon Chiwone and Saša Kalajdžić, due to injuries.

Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Chelsea team news: The 2-0 win over Servette with a strongly rotated starting XI was a good sign of what Chelsea will have to face if we really want to click under Enzo Maresca. It may be (often) boring, but it will be fun to see if things come together up front and we can score some nice goals.

Reaching Manchester City’s level in the season opener was always going to be a tall order, especially with so many key players still out of form due to their lack of pre-season preparation. Some of these players didn’t look much better in the UEFA Conference League play-off match in midweek, but more game time should quickly bring them up to par with the rest of the squad.

One good thing about this start to the season is that we don’t have many injuries, which is already a big advantage compared to last year’s pre-season, when we lost Christopher Nkunku to a badly beaten pitch during our US tour. This time around, Maresca can’t count on Reece James, who is not only injured but also still serving a suspension for the red card he received in the penultimate Premier League game of last season, away to Brighton. His list of absentees obviously doesn’t include all 20+ players who are looking for a way out of Cobham this summer.

Earlier: It’s been almost five years since we last beat Wolves at Molineux, but we did it thanks to a hat-trick from Tammy Abraham, accompanied by goals from Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori in a 5-2 scoreline.