Chelsea will continue the start of their new era under Enzo Maresca as they travel to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in matchweek 2 of the 2024/2025 Premier League season.
The Molineux will be rocking for this fixture as Wolves fans will be eager to see what their club serves up for them this season in their first home game. Last season, Wolves showed themselves to be one of the better teams in the Premier League’s mid-table and the fans would be eagerly anticipating signs of even more progress in Martin O’Neil’s second season.
The challenge before them will not be an easy one as they take on the Blues. They will surely be seen as the underdogs in this fixture but they will have confidence in their ability, particularly at home.
Ahead of this campaign, Wolves fans would be especially excited because compared to last season, Gary O’Neil will have a full preseason with the team. Last season, the current Wolves boss replaced now West Ham manager, Julen Lopetegui just days before the season started but the manager was able to adapt quickly and Wolves were a solid team throughout the 2023/2024 season.
A full preseason along with new signings approved by their manager is a prospect that has excited Wolves fans and a win over Chelsea early on is the best indicator of a team on the rise again.
Chelsea on the other hand, cannot help but be optimistic at best. Since the turn of the decade which started with UEFA Champions League triumph, it’s been a chaotic few seasons.
Enzo Maresca is here and they now look into a new era after the conclusion of the Pochettino era. The appointment of the former Leicester City boss has led to mixed reactions from the fanbase with some wishing for a manager with more top-level experience, but Maresca’s Leicester were a brilliant team to watch in the Championship.
Although it remains to be seen whether his philosophy would translate into Premier League success, the Chelsea squad has enough quality to make it happen. Chelsea fans will also hope he has the strength of character to manage at one of the biggest clubs in England.
‘At this moment, when you join a club you try to analyse what the club and team need to improve and do the right things. For me, it’s clear we need to create as soon as possible the right mentality and culture, a culture that the fans can be proud of. This is very important.
‘We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club, especially at home.
‘When you have your fans behind the team pushing, it’s like playing with 12 players and this is what we have to create here.’
‘Just trust the process, trust the idea, be behind the team. For sure we are going to enjoy the journey. Like at every club, for every manager, it will not be easy because nothing is easy. But for sure we are going to enjoy our journey,’ He said in his first interview.
These are words of optimism and hope from Maresca but these words are all too familiar to Chelsea fans, particularly in recent seasons. They are an impatient fanbase who want results and trophies as soon as they can get it, and this is something Maresca has to learn to deal with as well.
Playing Wolves away this early will be a stern test of character for the Blues, as they were beaten at home and away by this opponent. How well they play and whether they can win against a tough side like the hosts will set a positive tone for the season.
Match Tickets
Wolves vs Chelsea tickets will be in high demand, with fans eager to see what will be of the Maresca era. As usual, it is expected to sell out in the coming week, which means that fans will have to turn to ticket reselling websites for a chance to get their tickets to the game.
The Molineux is arguably one of the most beautiful grounds in the League and the atmosphere is going to charge the home fans and drown out the noise from the away support. Fans will show up in good numbers when they face Arsenal on Sunday, so a sellout crowd is to be expected. Tickets will see high patronage for this game which also means that a lot of fans will be visiting ticket resellers like Seatsnet.com for their tickets.
The game will be played at the Molineux on Sunday, 25th August 2024 at 2:00 PM. Fans in and around the United Kingdom where Sky Sports’ coverage reaches will be able to enjoy the game at that time.
The Premier League is broadcast to 212 total provinces in the world, which means that fans outside the United Kingdom have to tune in to one of the league’s broadcast partners in their province for the game.
Team news
In terms of injuries, Sasa Kalajdzic is the only casualty at the moment, as he is still recovering from the ACL tear he sustained back in February 2024.
New signings Jorhen Strand Larsen, Rodrigo Comes and Thomas Doyle will be available to play against the Blues as well.
Chelsea on the other hand, have once again spent big in the transfer market. One of the key signings in this window for them would probably be Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who was signed from Leicester City. He may not be the most high-profile signing, but he is a talented player who knows Maresca’s philosophy. He may become a key player for them this season.
Romeo Lavia suffered another injury setback for Chelsea and the young Frenchman was unable to complete the 2023/2024 season. It remains to be seen whether he would be fit for the Wolves match but the club will be careful not to rush the young midfielder.
Lineups
Wolves will line up with their strongest team and will be prepared for the challenge of Chelsea in their first home game of the season. Goals were a massive problem for them last season as they were the fifth-worst team in front of goal, but the signing of Strand Larsen will provide more firepower and an extra source of goals in the team outside Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Killman, Dawson, Gomes, Semedo, Lemina, Gomes, Nouri, Hee-Chan, Neto, Cunha.
Enzo Maresca is still trying to figure out his best Chelsea team, but we expect the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Noises Caicedo, Nicholas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Reece James to be in the starting lineup.
Chelsea FC: Sanchez; James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Chilwell, Enzo, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall, Palmer, Sterling, Jackson.
Prediction
It is very difficult to call this game because of the outcome of their previous encounters last season. On paper, Chelsea have the better team and should be seen as the favourites, but that was the case last season and they ended up getting no points from a possible six in their two meetings with Wolves.
Wolves will be confident about their chances with the way they fared against Chelsea last season in mind but this Chelsea team will be a different one under a new manager.
Wolves 2-2 Chelsea
