Chelsea vs Wolves Live Football Score 08/04/2023

Chelsea vs Wolves Live Football Score 08/04/2023

Frank Lampard will begin his reign as Chelsea’s caretaker manager with a trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday. While the West Londoners are languishing in 11th place in the table and are at risk of failing to qualify for Europe, Wolves are positioned three places further back in 14th and are fighting against relegation.

Back-to-back defeats against Newcastle United and Leeds United were followed by a 1-1 draw away against Nottingham Forest last weekend, with Daniel Podence scoring seven minutes from time to cancel out Brennan Johnson‘s opener and rescue a point for the visitors. A decline in form has left Julen Lopetegui with plenty to ponder and his side are now precariously placed just above the relegation zone, with only one point separating them from 18th-placed Bournemouth with nine games remaining, including five fixtures against teams in the top half of the table.

One of the tightest relegation battles in Premier League history looks set to go down to the wire as Wolves enter the final two months of their top-flight campaign. After a midweek of fixtures which puts almost all of the teams in the bottom half of the table level on games played, there are just seven points separating Crystal Palace in 12th and a Southampton side currently propping up the standings. Lopetegui’s men stand on 28 points going into the final nine matches of the season, but with four teams below them all tied on 27, it could still be anyone’s guess as to which three teams will be occupying the relegation spots come 28th May.

From the teams currently sat in the bottom half of the league, Wolves have still got to play Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Everton in future weeks, and they face the side sat 11th this weekend, as Chelsea come to Molineux. It’s been a tough few weeks for the Blues, having not picked up a win in their last three, but being sat closer to the European spots than they are to those teams below them, Chelsea will be confident they can kick-start their own campaign with a win this weekend.

After fighting back last weekend against Nottingham Forest, Wolves will go into Saturday’s game with renewed confidence, especially as they take on one of the ‘big six’ in front of their home supporters. The last two home wins for Lopetegui’s side have come against another pair of teams who also pulled out of the planned European Super League, in Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur – so they will be hoping lightning does indeed strike thrice, and Wolves can produce another impressive display in front of their home fans.

A look at the recent matches between Wolves and Chelsea in the Black Country also leaves for good reading for those of a gold and black persuasion. Since Saturday’s hosts were promoted back into the Premier League back in 2018, the sides have faced off four times at the golden palace, with Wolves winning two of those matches and one ending all square. Both of Wolves’ wins ended 2-1 in their favour, and both saw the home team fall behind before having to battle back. Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota were among the scorers for the first game in December 2018, while two years later it was Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto who found the net – with the latter’s last-gasp goal earning the points.

Frank Lampard, who is beginning his second spell in the Chelsea dug-out, in addition to his illustrious playing career at Stamford Bridge, was confirmed in his new role today, meaning he is yet to have a chance to lead his team in training at Cobham ahead of his first match at Wolverhampton Wanderers in Saturday’s Premier League fixture. However, he was in the stands at the Bridge on Tuesday evening to witness our 0-0 draw with Liverpool and discussed what he expects to find in his squad, as well as one of the most pressing issues he will want to address.

‘I was at the game on Tuesday night, I know there’s a lot of talent in this squad, not just the players who played on Tuesday but generally,’ said Lampard. ‘I’m excited to work with that talent and help them and that’s why I’m here. ‘Modern day football has big squads and I understand that Chelsea might be at the top end of that. I remember being here before and I had lots of difficult decisions with really good players and people you have to tell they aren’t involved this week. Part of the job is to try to manage that situation and make every player feel included.

Wolves have stepped up for the big occasion in recent matches on home soil, though, as they have won each of their last three Premier League games at Molineux against teams above them in the table, including the aforementioned win over Spurs and victories against Liverpool and West Ham United. Lopetegui will be targeting improvements from his Wolves side in the final third, as they have scored the joint-fewest goals (23) in the Premier League this season along with Everton and Southampton, and they head into Saturday’s clash with Chelsea having failed to score in four of their last six meetings with the West Londoners.

Five days after parting company with Graham Potter, Chelsea announced on Thursday the appointment of club legend Frank Lampard as caretaker manager until the end of the season. The 44-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge just over two years after being sacked as head coach in January 2021, and takes his first managerial job since being given the boot by Everton just three months ago.

Chelsea have confirmed that they are continuing their “thorough and exhaustive process” for a permanent manager – with the likes of Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann among the frontrunners to take over in the summer – but in the meantime, Lampard is tasked with helping the Blues climb the Premier League table towards the European qualification places, while the small matter of a Champions League tie with Real Madrid is on the agenda next week. Lampard was in attendance at Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea – led by interim coach Bruno Saltor – play out a goalless draw with Liverpool on Tuesday night, in which a wasteful Blues side missed a plethora of chances in front of goal.

The West Londoners have struggled to find the net throughout this season and have scored at least two or more goals in just three of their last 20 Premier League matches, while they have failed to score at all in 10 games during this run. Chelsea had no problems scoring in their last meeting with Wolves, though, as goals from Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja secured a 3-0 home victory in October – their biggest league win of the season to date – and another triumph on Saturday could move them to within four points of the top six.