Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is set to begin his second stint as the club’s manager with a trip to face Wolves this weekend. Lampard has been brought in to replace Graham Potter until the end of the season and has been tasked with finishing as high up the table as possible. However, with Chelsea having won just two of their last ten league matches, a top-four finish looks unlikely.
Wolves, on the other hand, are one of nine teams currently embroiled in a relegation battle and are just one point clear of the drop zone. The team has struggled to score goals this season, having found the net just 23 times in the league.
The Premier League clash between Wolves and Chelsea is set to take place on Saturday, April 8, with kick-off at Molineux scheduled for 3 pm. Unfortunately, the match will not be televised on UK screens due to the 3 pm blackout in English football. However, highlights will be available on the Sky Sports website and app shortly after the end of the match and then later on Match of the Day. TalkSPORT will have updates from Molineux as part of GameDay Live from 3 pm.
Lampard was sacked by Chelsea in January 2021 but returns for the final nine games of the season. He has expressed his delight at returning to the club and is confident in his ability to help the team in this period until the end of the season. Lampard has a good understanding of the squad, training ground, stadium, and fans, and he will do his utmost to give them what they want with his own hard work.
The team news for the game sees Wolves XI: Sa, Lemina, Podence, Cunha, Dawson, Semedo, Kilman, Toti, Nunes, Costa, Gomes. Subs: Bentley, Collins, Neto, Hee-Chan, Garcia, Moutinho, Traore, Hodge, Bueno. Chelsea XI: Kepa, Fernandez, Kovacic, Felix, Sterling, Gallagher, James, Koulibaly, Havertz, Cucurella, Fofana. Subs: Mendy, Badiashile, Aubameyang, Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah, Mudryk, Zakaria, Chilwell.
In terms of match facts, Wolves are winless in their last four Premier League games against Chelsea (D3 L1) since beating them 2-1 at Molineux in December 2020. Chelsea haven’t won either of their last two league visits to Molineux (D1 L1) since winning 5-2 in September 2019 under Frank Lampard. Under Julen Lopetegui, Wolves are unbeaten in their three Premier League matches against opponents from London (W2 D1), recording wins at home to West Ham and Spurs.
Chelsea have picked up just 16 points from 14 away games in the Premier League this season (W4 D4 L6), their lowest return after 14 road games in a single campaign since 2000-01 (9). The Blues have already lost twice as many away games this season (6) as they did in 2021-22 (3). Wolves have won each of their last three Premier League home games against sides starting the day above them in the table (1-0 v West Ham, 3-0 v Liverpool and 1-0 v Spurs). They have never previously won four consecutive home games against opponents above them in the Premier League.
In conclusion, Lampard’s return to Chelsea is an exciting prospect for fans of the club. However, with the team struggling for form and Wolves fighting for survival, it remains to be seen how successful his second stint as manager will be.