Maresca warns Chelsea squad must 'show why they are here' ahead of Wolves test

Enzo Maresca fired a warning to his Chelsea side ahead of their clash with Premier League strugglers Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw away to Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday, a game that saw Maresca again make seven changes to his starting XI.

Key midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo were both left on the bench for the long trip to Azerbaijan, and the Blues boss wants to see more from his rotation options.

"It's about all [the players]," said Maresca. "I think we started in the right way. We were in control of the game [against Qarabag] but when we conceded the first goal, we conceded the second one after four or five minutes.

"We were much better in the second half. Every game is a chance for them to show why they are here."

Romeo Lavia was forced off injured early on Wednesday, adding another injured absentee to Chelsea's growling list.

The midfielder has played only 30 times in more than two years since joining the club and has never completed a full 90 minutes.

"We feel a shame for him, especially for him," said Maresca. "He's not able to be fit for a long, long period.

"We will see now. It's too early to understand what kind of injury. I think it's his quad."

Regardless of absentees, Chelsea will be full of confidence after a narrow 1-0 win away to rivals Tottenham last time out in the league.

That victory lifted them to seventh but just two points behind second-placed Manchester City, which is in stark contrast to bottom side Wolves.

Saturday's visitors dismissed manager Vitor Pereira after a 3-0 loss to Fulham last weekend, leaving them bottom on two points and still winless in the league this campaign.

Youth team coaches James Collins and Richard Walker will take charge of the visit to Stamford Bridge, with Middlesbrough's Rob Edwards among the frontrunners for the permanent position.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chelsea – Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro has been involved in six goals in his last nine Premier League appearances (three goals, three assists) for Chelsea.

Saturday should mark his 100th appearance in the competition, becoming the 31st Brazilian to hit that total – the only non-British nations with more are France (59), Republic of Ireland (56) and Spain (40).

Wolves – Joao Gomes

Wolves will be under serious pressure on Saturday, and Joao Gomes may be a player to watch – both for his ability on the ball, and his tenacity out of possession.

Only Fulham (140) have conceded more fouls in the Premier League this season than Wolves (134), with Gomes conceding the third-most of any player in the division (21).

Since his debut in February 2023, the Wolves midfielder has committed the most fouls (174) and received the most yellow cards (28) in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION – CHELSEA WIN

Chelsea are the heavy favourites at Stamford Bridge, owing to Wolves' drab start and their strong head-to-head record against the visitors.

After losing three consecutive Premier League games against Wolves between April 2023 and February 2024, Chelsea won both meetings last season by an aggregate score of 9-3.

In fact, Wolves have won just one of their 11 top-flight away games against Chelsea (D3 L7), picking up a 4-2 victory in February 2024.

Chelsea have also scored 5+ goals in four different Premier League games against Wolves, including a 6-2 win at Molineux last season. Against no side have the Blues done so more in the competition, while it is the most Wolves have conceded 5+ against an opponent.

The outlook does not improve for Wolves, who have gone 14 Premier League games without a victory (D3 L11), having won six in a row beforehand.

Only once have they gone 15 top-flight matches without a win having not been relegated in between that run, doing so between January and August 1970 (16).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Chelsea win – 73.2%
Draw – 15.6%
Wolves win – 11.3%