Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea prediction, odds and betting tips

Chelsea will be looking to build on Tuesday’s EFL Cup success when they travel to the West Midlands on Christmas Eve.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea best offer

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea odds

Find the latest match odds for Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

Quick Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea betting tips

• Go for a Chelsea win – 19/20 with bet365
• Choose under 2.5 goals in this game – evens with bet365
• Back Nicolas Jackson to score any time – 13/8 with bet365

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea predictions

It is fair to say the EFL Cup is not universally loved. Whenever there is a discussion about the need to streamline the English football calendar, the suggestion that the competition should be scrapped is never far away.

Any case for the defence should use the reaction of the Stamford Bridge crowd on Tuesday night as evidence. 

Chelsea looked to be on their way out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Newcastle United, who led their quarter-final tie thanks to a first-half goal from Callum Wilson.

Then, two minutes into second-half stoppage time, Mykhailo Mudryk levelled the score to force a penalty shoot-out (there is no extra time in England’s secondary cup competition).

Chelsea were perfect from 12 yards, with Cole Palmer, Conor Galllagher, Christopher Nkunku and Mudryk all converting. Misses from Kieran Trippier and Matt Ritchie sent Mauricio Pochettino’s men through to the semis.

Chelsea have won every trophy there is to win over the last decade or so. Their fans are accustomed to success. Yet the Stamford Bridge crowd was still thrown into raptures when Ritchie’s miss secured their spot in the last four.

It was an important result for Pochettino too. The EFL Cup provides Chelsea’s best chance of a trophy this season. Their manager has never won silverware in England before, while the Blues have not scooped a domestic prize since 2018, back when Antonio Conte was patrolling the touchline.

Pochettino will hope to use that victory over Newcastle as a means of building momentum. But that will only be possible if Chelsea follow it up with another win on Sunday.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea betting tips

Chelsea will be looking to close the gap to the European places when they take on Wolves this weekend.

Chelsea to win – 19/20 (bet365)

Chelsea’s season to date has been marred by inconsistency. Whenever they seem to turn a corner it is into a cul-de-sac.

Just look at their last 10 Premier League results: win, draw, loss, win, draw, loss, win, loss, loss, win. 

Chelsea have the youngest squad in the division by design. They have embarked on a new recruitment strategy, purchasing players with potential in their teens or early 20s.

They therefore must accept a degree of unreliability. That is also the reason why Pochettino has publicly demanded money to spend in January. The manager presumably wants to add a bit more experience to the Chelsea ranks.

His team’s away form will be starting to concern Pochettino. The Blues have lost each of their last three on the road. Their most recent victory against 11 men at an opposition ground was way back on October 7, when Chelsea put Burnley to the sword at Turf Moor.

Nevertheless, we fancy them to get the better of Wolves in this rare Christmas Eve fixture. Chelsea should ultimately have a bit too much quality for their hosts.

Go for a Chelsea win at 19/20 with bet365

Under 2.5 goals – Evens (bet365)

Chelsea would have felt hard done by had they lost to Newcastle United in midweek. They outshot their opponents 15-4 and had 78 percent possession. The Magpies created few chances of note after Wilson’s opener.

Each of Chelsea’s last three games has featured fewer than three goals. Pochettino will be keen for his team to tighten up after a period in which they struggled to keep opposition attacks quiet.

As for Wolves, they have played pretty well against big teams at Molineux this term. As well as beating Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, they caused Liverpool plenty of problems in September.

Yet Wolves have struggled to put the ball in the back of the net of late: they have not managed to score more than one goal in any of their last four fixtures.

This will probably be a close game – it is hard to envisage Chelsea easing to victory – so keeping the score down would be in the interest of both teams. As it is, under 2.5 goals looks like the best second bet.

Choose under 2.5 goals in this game at evens with bet365

Nicolas Jackson to score any time – 13/8 (bet365)

Nkunku scored his penalty in the shoot-out against Newcastle after managing just over 20 minutes on the pitch.

The France international is in line for his Premier League debut this weekend, but we do not yet know if he will be included in the starting XI.

Pochettino will not want to take any risks with a player who has barely played any competitive football since the end of last season. Nkunku may therefore have to make do with a place on the bench at Molineux.

That is good news for Nicolas Jackson, who should get the nod up front. The Senegal international has had a mixed start to his Chelsea career, with six goals and 11 big chances missed to his name.

He is the type of striker who gives opposition centre-backs something to think about, though, and he did score in the victory over Sheffield United last weekend.

Back Nicolas Jackson to score any time at 13/8 with bet365

How to watch Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Chelsea

• Location: Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England.
• Date and time: Sunday 24 December 2023, 1pm.
• How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

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