Wolves v Chelsea predictions, odds and betting tips: Hosts should be in party mood for Christmas Eve clash

Paddy Power are offering £40 in free bets on Wolves v Chelsea. You can grab your free bet here. We’ve included instructions on how to grab your offer later on in this article.

Where to watch Wolves v Chelsea

You can watch Wolves v Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday December 24, live on Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event at 1pm

Match prediction & best bet

Wolves to win & over 2.5 goals
1pt 5-1 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes

You can bet on Wolves v Chelsea here and get £40 in free bets with Paddy Power

Wolves v Chelsea odds

Wolves 14-5
Chelsea 19-20
Draw 11-4

Odds correct at time of publishing

Wolves v Chelsea team news

Wolves 
Winger Pedro Neto should be back in the squad and goalkeeper Jose Sa is fit to start with Dan Bentley dropping to the bench. Joe Hodge and Jonny will not feature.

Chelsea 
Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto should be involved but Enzo Fernandez (hernia) has been ruled out. Romeo Lavia, Noni Madueke and Lesley Ugochukwu are back in training. The Blues are still missing Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Robert Sanchez and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Wolves v Chelsea predictions

For the first time since 1995 a Premier League match will be played on Christmas Eve as Wolves host Chelsea in a festive fixture at Molineux.

Howard Wilkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson were the last top-flight managers to lead their teams out on December 24 and goals from Gary McAllister, Tony Yeboah and Brian Deane gave Leeds a 3-1 win over Manchester United at Elland Road.

That was 28 years ago and now Wolves boss Gary O'Neil is hoping to wrap up three points without any further VAR controversy souring the season of goodwill. 

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, will be making an injury list – and checking it twice – before he names his starting line-up at Molineux.

Summer signing Christopher Nkunku returned to action as a substitute in Tuesday's penalty-shootout win over Newcastle in the EFL Cup but is unlikely to be risked from the start against Wolves.

The Blues are still missing goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, plus defenders Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah, and World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez is their latest casualty.

Even a win at Molineux would leave Chelsea in tenth place at Christmas, having picked up 22 points from their first 17 league games under Pochettino, but there are mitigating circumstances for their underwhelming results.

After a huge turnover of players in the summer, the new manager has struggled for consistency of selection due to injuries and ill-discipline.

Before this round of fixtures, only struggling Sheffield United had picked up more yellow cards than Chelsea, who have also had three players sent off in the league.

There have been promising performances from the Blues. Cole Palmer has been an instant hit after his surprise move from Manchester City while Raheem Sterling is finding form after a grim 2022-23 campaign.

However, they are hard to trust as favourites to win at Molineux, where it could be worth backing Wolves to win a game featuring over 2.5 goals.

Wanderers lost 4-1 to Brighton and 3-1 to Liverpool in their first two home games this season but they have won three and drawn three of their subsequent six matches on their own patch.

That is an impressive record given the calibre of the opposition. They have beaten champions City and Tottenham, both by a 2-1 margin, and had score draws against highflying Aston Villa and Newcastle.

Wolves are averaging 1.24 goals per game under O'Neil, up from 0.82 last season, while Chelsea have lost their last three away matches in the league.

They were thumped 4-1 at Newcastle, lost 2-1 at out-of-sorts Manchester United, who had 28 shots at goal, and 2-0 at Everton, so Wolves look worth backing to step into Christmas in style.

Key stat

Seven of Wolves' last nine league matches have featured three or more goals

Probable teams

Wolves (3-4-3): Sa; Kilman, Dawson, T Gomes; Semedo, Lemina, J Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Hwang, Cunha, Sarabia
Subs: Doyle, Doherty, Neto, Bellegarde, Traore, Kalajdzic, Silva

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill; Caicedo, Gallagher; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson
Subs: Nkunku, Gusto, Madueke, Ugochukwu, Broja, Maatsen, Lavia

Inside info

Wolves

Star man Hee-chan Hwang
Top scorer Hee-chan Hwang
Penalty taker Hee-chan Hwang
Card magnet Craig Dawson
Assist ace Pablo Sarabia
Set-piece aerial threat Craig Dawson

Chelsea

Star man Cole Palmer
Top scorer Nicolas Jackson
Penalty taker Cole Palmer
Card magnet Nicolas Jackson
Assist ace Conor Gallagher
Set-piece aerial threat Thiago Silva

Wolves v Chelsea bet builder predictions

Wolves or draw double chance
The hosts are unbeaten in six games at Molineux, including wins over Manchester City and Tottenham and draws with Aston Villa and Newcastle

Over 2.5 Chelsea cards
Chelsea have picked up 26 yellow cards and two reds in their last eight league and cup matches against top-flight clubs

Matheus Cunha to score or assist a goal
The Wolves striker is in fine form, contributing either a goal or an assist in five of his last six league appearances including matches against Spurs and Arsenal

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