It’s been a tough go for Chelsea supporters the past few weeks as the Blues continue to make a habit of dropping points in the English Premier League title race. Chelsea has dropped points in three of the past five matches and slipped from league leaders down to third place, five points adrift from Manchester City. While Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel isn’t pushing the panic button just yet, he will also know that the eventual champion this year is almost certainly going to need a points total in the mid-90s. If that goal is to be realized, there is little room for error with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City beating up on the league. Chelsea looks to right the ship as they travel away to Wolverhampton, knowing there isn’t much wiggle room left in their title hopes. Can Chelsea keep pace in this hectic December, or do they continue to slip? We take a closer look at this critical match with title implications, but you can check out all the EPL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Wolves vs. Chelsea Predictions & Picks
- Wolverhampton +550
- Under 2.5 -118
While it’s early days in the title race to be dismissing any team, the fact remains that Chelsea (-190) has very few mulligans left in this race after dropping some winnable games these past few weeks. Even their two victories didn’t do a whole lot to ease fans’ worries. Their pair of wins in the past five came against Leeds, where they required a 95th-minute penalty to sneak past a team that Manchester City dismantled 7-0. Chelsea’s other recent win was equally unimpressive as they again relied on late goals to narrowly escape relegation bound Watford.
Chelsea faces a difficult task in travels to Wolverhampton (+550), where they meet a Wolves club that has quietly become one of the best defensive teams in England. Wolves keeper José Sá is fifth in the league in clean sheets, and Wolves are fourth-best in goals against. Adding to these impressive numbers is that Wolverhampton has only allowed two goals in their past six matches. A considerable feat when you note that the opposition included West Ham, Manchester City, and Liverpool. Achieving four clean sheets in that time, the Wolverhampton backline has become incredibly stingy. Bad news for Chelsea and their supporters, who do not even have a forward fit to play this weekend as Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner are both likely out after testing positive for COVID-19.
Chelsea’s lack of scoring options has been made up slightly by the distinctive form of midfielder Mason Mount who now has seven goals this season. However, the Chelsea reliance on the midfielder may prove too much in this one. With the absence of an out-and-out forward, Chelsea will be forced to build play from the back against an organized Wolves back four. With the lack of scoring evident at Chelsea of late and the frugal defending of Wolves apparent, take the under 2.5 and add another stumble for Chelsea as the home underdogs have an excellent chance for an upset full of value at +550.
All EPL predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid
