Chelsea vs Wolves Prediction: 20/1/2025

In the next Premier League game, Chelsea will play against Wolverhampton, but without some key players. French defenders Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile are still out with their respective injuries, while less noted Dewsbury-Hall and Kellyman also won’t feature in this match. Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk will also be serving a suspension following his doping violation. Injuries and suspension have taken away some key personnel, but Chelsea has been bailed out by Cole Palmer’s outstanding form, netting 13 goals with six assists in the league already. He should once again feature prominently, likely alongside Nicolas Jackson, who has added nine goals and three assists of his own. Christopher Nkunku has found game time hard to come by this term, and may find himself once again not as prominent.

Chelsea recalled defender Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace to strengthen their defensive options for the second half of the season. For Wolverhampton, starting defenders Toti and Mosquera, along with long-term absentees Traoré, Kalajdzic, and Gonzalez, are all out due to injuries. Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha, who has scored 10 goals and provided four assists this season, returns from suspension. The latter will also have to deal with competition for the starting role with Dane Strand Larsen, who so far has seven goals and two assists. Wolverhampton have had a nightmare of a season defensively. In fact, they carry the worst defensive record in the league so far, which explains why they signed Agbadou from Reims.

The Wolves have been inconsistent in recent matches, beating Bristol City and Manchester United while suffering heavy losses to Nottingham that really exposed the weaknesses in their defense. Their tenacity has brought them results even in tough games, like draws against Tottenham, important wins notwithstanding, though consistency remains a big question.

Chelsea will look to exploit the defensive vulnerabilities of Wolves, especially those exposed in their 0-3 defeats to Nottingham. However, Chelsea are kept on their toes by the unpredictability of Wolves and how they can spring surprises. Wolves have shown time and again that they can rise to the occasion against strong teams, and this is going to be one such encounter.

The scoreline on January 20, 2025, could be 3-1 in Chelsea’s favor. With Chelsea boasting of the attacking flair and with the home advantage, they should easily slot a couple of goals past the porous Wolves rear guard. Chelsea might find it rather tough to keep out the Wolves attacking pack; still, their opponents’ attackers may punish them with a goal should there be a slip-up at the back. It’s going to be a nail-biting encounter, for sure, since it will pit strategy against grit.

Prediction

And this does not bode well for their away form considering Wolves have lost six of their last eight away matches, letting in 16 goals across those fixtures. Chelsea have been flying, scoring 20 times and bagging 18 points from a possible 21 in recent matches. Given these trends, the path appears clear for Chelsea to win comfortably.

Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Wolves