Chelsea welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Stamford Bridge tonight in what promises to be a crucial game for both sides. Chelsea start life without Frank Lampard – who was relieved of his duties on Monday – with former Dortmund and PSG manager Thomas Tuchel taking charge for the first time.
The Blues have suffered defeat in five of their last eight Premier League games and with talk of unrest amongst the squad, the new manager will have his work cut out. Roman Abramovich will be expecting the German coach to get the best out of big-money investments Timo Werner and Kai Havertz – both of whom are yet to justify their lofty price tags.
Chelsea v Wolves, 6pm: BT Sport 1
Wolves come into Wednesday’s game on a worse run of form than their hosts with just one victory in their last nine Premier League matches. Ironically, their last victory came against Chelsea back in December when they won 2-1 at Molineux. Not only are they struggling to score goals, but they have failed to keep a clean sheet since the middle of October too, and the pressure is rising on Nuno Espirito Santo. Wolves are struggling to score and Raul Jimenez is a huge loss in that department.
The team news for Chelsea will be interesting and the squad will be playing for their futures under new management. It should give Chelsea an extra edge and this is certainly a good time to play Wolves. I expect plenty of goals at the Bridge and a Chelsea victory. The Bet is Chelsea To Win.
Later in the evening, Brighton & Hove Albion face Fulham at the Amex Stadium in a real fight for survival in the Premier League. Brighton’s recent win against Leeds at Elland Road was their first league success in nine attempts since beating Aston Villa back in November.
The Seagulls have opened up a five-point margin between themselves and the relegation zone, but Graham Potter will be well aware of Brighton’s upcoming difficult fixture list and knows a win against Fulham tonight could be crucial.
Brighton v Fulham, 7.30pm: BT Sport 3
Fulham under Scott Parker have improved, but as mentioned previously they don’t seem to be moving upwards in the Premier League table. A recent narrow defeat to Manchester Utd was heartening but extended their winless run to eight matches. They have done reasonably well on the road of late, though, and have recorded just one defeat from their last four top-flight matches. Brighton are the only team in the Premier League yet to win on home soil this season which will give Scott Parker and Fulham great confidence that they can get something from the game.
This really is a must-win for both sides and I expect it to be a much better game than when the sides last met back in December. That finished in a dire goalless stalemate at Craven Cottage. I expect Brighton to get their first league win on home soil this season. The bet is Brighton To Win.
PP News Daily Double
Wednesday January 27
Chelsea to beat Wolves
Brighton to beat Fulham