English Premier
2012-01-02 - Wolves vs Chelsea
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Monday 2 January 2011 - Kick Off 3pm
Wolves
Wolves earned a point at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday, a point that keeps them a little clear of those sides in the relegation zone. However, they will be hoping to build on that against a team that is really struggling for form and one that they have beaten when they last played here at Molineux.
The results at the weekend meant Wolves moved up to 16th in the Premier League, although they remain just 2 points clear of Wigan in the final relegation spot. They will be hoping to improve their record at Molineux where they are 3-2-4 this season, scoring 13 goals and conceding 15.
A draw at Bolton last time out was a decent enough result for Wolves, although they could have grabbed all 3 points with a little more luck. Mick McCarthy will have been satisfied with the last couple of games as that result was preceded by a 1-1 draw at Arsenal too. Wolves have lost just 1 of their last 5 home games in the Premier League and they have picked up 8 points from the 15 possible in that time.
Jamie O'Hara has been ruled out until the end of January, while Nenad Milijas is out through suspension. Ronald Zubar is another that has been ruled out until the end of the month.
Chelsea
Andre Villa-Boas has to be under a little more pressure after the disappointing 1-3 home loss to Aston Villa last time out, but he has the faith of the owner and is expected to put his stamp on the side over the next 6 months with new signings. It might be a benefit playing away from home after the team was booed off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but recent results must have dented the confidence of the side.
Chelsea were expected to challenge for the Premier League title along with Manchester United and Manchester City this season, but that already looks like a forlorn hope as they sit in 5th place in the League and are 11 points behind the leading duo. They face a fight to even return to the Champions League next season as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool all have their own ambitions. The Blues are 4-3-2 away from home this season, scoring 14 goals and conceding 8, giving them the 3rd best away defence in the League so far.
The team have failed to win any of their last 4 Premier League games since beating Manchester City at home, and they have failed to score more than 1 goal in any of those games. They had drawn their previous 3 games before the loss to Villa on Saturday. Chelsea have really struggled for goals away from home in recent games, and they have only scored more than 1 goal in 1 of their last 8 away games in all competitions.
Jon Obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic have both been ruled out for a couple of weeks. Chelsea have no other new injury worries to contend with, while Gary Cahill is not expected to sign until later this week.
Head to Head
Wolves beat Chelsea 1-0 here last season and also beat Manchester United and Manchester City in front of their own fans in that season.
Chelsea had won their previous 2 away visits to Molineux and also beat Wolves 3-0 at Stamford Bridge earlier this season.
Prediction
This will be a really big test for Chelsea as they look to bounce back from a poor recent run of form and get back to winning ways. Molineux is not an easy ground to come and perform at, and odds on for Chelsea looks far too short for me.
Wolves have had a good time when entertaining some of the bigger teams in the Premier League since the beginning of last season, and should have some confidence from earning a draw at Arsenal recently.
If they can get off to a positive start and not fall behind in the first 20 minutes of the game, I can see Wolves causing plenty of worries for Chelsea and they may even be good enough to earn something from the game.
I think there could be a little bit of value picking the draw in this game considering the form of both sides coming into this one. The home side would be fairly happy with a point in this game and should have an opportunity to do so considering Chelsea's recent struggles to score goals.
The only concern is that there has not been a draw between these teams in the last 9 meetings either at Stamford Bridge or Molineux.
However, I am going to take a chance on this one finishing all square at a decent looking 4.33.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Wolves 1-1 Chelsea
