Mykhailo Mudryk To Start; Enzo Fernandez And Christopher Nkunku On The Bench: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Play Wolves

Things are looking up for Chelsea and manager Mauricio Pochettino after two positive results in the space of a week.

They secured a pretty comfortable win over Sheffield United last Saturday before fighting back against Newcastle to secure their place in the last 4 of the Carabao Cup.

The Blues will face Wolves on Christmas Eve hoping that they can continue their recent good form.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting eleven for the game at Molineux this weekend.

GK – Djordje Petrovic

The penalty save in the shootout against Newcastle will have boosted the Serbian’s confidence no end.

It’s apparent that Pochettino wasn’t convinced of Petrovic’s ability initially, having even refused to play him in earlier rounds of the Carabao Cup.

However, Robert Sanchez’s injury forced Pochettino’s hand and the summer signing from New England Revolution is clearly keen to take the opportunity that he has been presented with.

There are still plenty of aspects to his game (collecting crosses, distribution, etc.) that he needs to improve but the 24-year-old is heading in the right direction.

RB – Malo Gusto

It was a very promising performance from the Frenchman midweek, as he replaced the fatigued Levi Colwill at halftime against Newcastle.

Gusto was a threat from left-back, but he was certainly a lot more comfortable when he switched to his more natural position on the right-hand side.

With captain Reece James expected to miss the majority of the season following surgery on his hamstring, Gusto has a great opportunity to establish himself as a first-team regular.

Against Wolves, he could be tested defensively going up against the likes of Matheus Cunha or Hwang Hee-chan.

CB – Axel Disasi

Benoit Badiashile didn’t have the best of times versus Newcastle.

The Frenchman’s failure to control the ball led to Callum Wilson putting the away side 1-0 up early on at Stamford Bridge before the Blues got back level.

While it was reported after the game that Badiashile was suffering from illness, Pochettino may decide to bench him for Sunday’s game and move Disasi back to a central position.

The £39m signing has struck up a decent partnership with Thiago Silva and he has only been left out of the starting lineup on two occasions this season.

CB – Thiago Silva

Like Badiashile, the Brazilian will be disappointed with his part in the Magpies’ opener on Tuesday evening.

However, Silva more than made up for it with some excellent tackles and interceptions, which helped prevent any further breaches of the defence.

There will be no need to rest the 39-year-old as the five-day gap between fixtures means he should have enough time to recuperate before the Wolves game.

As mentioned already, Gary O’Neil’s team do have some tricky customers up front that Silva will have to keep a close eye on.

LB – Levi Colwill

The 20-year-old was hooked after 45 minutes against Newcastle. It’s the second time this campaign that the defender hasn’t lasted beyond the first half.

Pochettino explained after the game that Colwill looked “tired”, which is a somewhat strange excuse considering Chelsea haven’t had that many matches this season due to the lack of European football.

With Marc Cucurella injured and Ben Chilwell not expected to return for Sunday’s trip to Molineux, Pochettino has limited options if he wants to replace Colwill.

Ian Maatsen would be the obvious alternative but the Dutchman hasn’t been given a lot of game time by his manager at left-back, with most of his minutes coming in more advanced positions.

CM – Moises Caicedo

The Ecuadorian international has vowed to improve his form but there has been very little sign of him reaching the levels he showed at Brighton so far.

Caicedo could have easily been sent off against Newcastle, after raking his studs down Anthony Gordon’s calf, but VAR was not in operation for the Carabao Cup tie.

Playing as the deepest-lying midfielder, Caicedo has to impose himself more on the game, and use his physicality to break up play and set up attacks.

Blues fans will be hoping that the 21-year-old makes a good impression at Molineux this weekend.

CM – Conor Gallagher

Enzo Fernandez was taken off in the first half on Tuesday due to illness.

However, there have also been rumours that the Argentinian international is suffering from Pubalgia, a chronic groin injury, that could be hampering his performances.

With that being the case, there is a possibility that Fernandez will start on the bench against Wolves.

Gallagher can do a job playing slightly deeper as a no.8 and, with Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu both out injured, Pochettino doesn’t really have many alternatives currently. Romeo Lavia could be on the bench this weekend, though, as the Belgian gets closer to making his debut.

AM – Cole Palmer

Christopher Nkunku made a very promising cameo in the Carabao Cup earlier this week.

However, any supporters hoping that the Frenchman will be thrown straight into the starting lineup on Sunday should think again. He has spent the last 5 months on the sidelines so caution is required to prevent any potential setbacks.

Palmer is more than capable of playing as a no.10. The 21-year-old did have a quiet night against Newcastle but he is one of the Blues’ most creative players.

Wolves do have a couple of strong holding midfielders in Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina. However, Palmer has already shown he is a handful for any opposition defence.

RW – Raheem Sterling

The 28-year-old’s performances have typified Chelsea’s efforts in the final third so far this season.

Sterling gets into a lot of promising positions but he rarely makes the right decision or executes the right pass or shot.

Saying all that, though, the England international remains one of the Blues’ main threats going forward, even if his end product can be found wanting.

Going up against Toti Gomes, Sterling should have the beating of the Portuguese defender in terms of pace.

CF – Nicolas Jackson

In terms of goal involvements, the Senegalese international hasn’t had a bad first half of the season by any stretch of the imagination.

Considering it is Jackson’s first campaign in the Premier League, 7 goals and 1 assist is pretty impressive on the face of it.

Yet, it seems Chelsea are already actively looking to recruit a new striker next month. Much of that is down to the 22-year-old’s lack of consistency.

His finishing lacks polish and he can struggle to make an impact if his team are not dominating the ball. For now, though, he is the best that the Blues have got.

LW – Mykhailo Mudryk

The Ukrainian was alert to nick the ball off Kieran Trippier and composed when placing his shot past Martin Dubravka against Newcastle.

It’s the sort of quality that most fans expected from a £88.5m signing, but we have seen too little of it since Mudryk’s arrival last January.

Playing a key role in helping Chelsea progress in the Carabao Cup will, hopefully, improve the winger’s confidence.

Mudryk deserves a start at Molineux but it is up to him to take the opportunity with both hands.