Just ten days have passed since the last encounter between Chelsea and Wolves. That came in the Carabao Cup at Molineux and a youthful Blues side were able to progress thanks to a 4-3 victory over the Old Gold. Our goals were struck by Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens.

This time, the meeting takes place in west London and there are Premier League points are up for grabs. Chelsea have claimed 17 points from our opening ten fixtures, scoring 18 goals in the process. In contrast, Wolves are winless with only two points earned and six goals struck.

It is the second time this season that the Blues have played in the 8pm Saturday kick-off slot. The first was our trip to Brentford in September, which ended in a 2-2 draw after a stoppage-time equaliser was netted by Bees forward Fabio Carvalho.

We have performed better on home soil when getting underway at 7.45pm or later in the Premier League, with nine consecutive victories recorded.

This is Wanderers’ first outing since defeat at west London neighbours Fulham ended head coach Vitor Pereira’s tenure, which had yielded just three league points from the last 42 on offer.

Academy coaches James Collins and Richard Walker have been putting the first team through their paces this week and are expected to be in the dugout.

Having mastered Tottenham Hotspur on their own patch yet again last weekend, the Blues traveled to and back from Baku in midweek for Champions League action against Qarabag. A 2-2 draw was claimed in the Azerbaijan capital, and the squad didn't return home until the early hours of Thursday morning.

And there will be more travel for the jet-setters in our squad after the visit of Wolves, with the final international break of the year following this weekend’s action.

Chelsea team news

Enzo Maresca confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the availability of winger Pedro Neto would be determined after our final training session ahead of Wolves' visit.

‘Pedro had a session yesterday with the physio outside on the pitch, it was good. He will try with us today (Friday) and then we will take the final decision [as to whether he can face Wolves].

Levi Colwill (knee) and Dario Essugo (thigh) are long-term absentees, while Cole Palmer is continuing his recovery from a groin issue and will not feature at Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening. Benoit Badiashile is also not yet ready to return from a muscle issue.

Romeo Lavia will also be absent due to an injury sustained against Qarabag. The midfielder pulled up after just four minutes and Baku and had to be replaced by Moises Caicedo.

‘We don’t have an update at the moment,' Maresca explained. 'We need to wait still some hours to do all the checks he needs. For sure, he has an injury.

'It’s a shame because we are trying to minimise minutes for him, even with that, he is injured again. But we need to persist until we find the right solution for him.’

The history

Wolverhampton Wanderers have often been difficult opponents for Chelsea down the years (24 wins from 57 attempts). In fact, of clubs in the current top flight, only Manchester United and Arsenal have proved harder for the Blues to overcome at the Bridge since the first league encounter in 1906/07.

However, when the Blues famously beat Division One title rivals Wanderers 1-0 in April 1955, it was the third consecutive victory for Ted Drake’s side – a rarity in the past.

And the acrobatic handball by Billy Wright that led to Peter Sillett’s vital penalty winner was only awarded by the ref after intervention by the home players and a linesman.

In December, another memorable clash at the Bridge was watched by U.S. Secretary of State Dr Henry Kissinger. The game ended 3-3, with Ian Britton and Steve Finnieston scoring in the final ten minutes to keep the Londoners in pole position for promotion.

The Premier League era has proved far more fruitful for the Blues, with seven of our 24 wins over Wolves on home soil coming from 11 visits from the Old Gold following their first promotion back to the top flight in 2003/04.

Dave Jones was in charge for the first instance in March 2004; a 5-2 Blues win that was 2-1 to the visitors going into the last half-hour.

Four goals in 21 minutes from Frank Lampard and substitute Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who scored a hat-trick, turned the game on its head for Claudio Ranieri’s title aspirants.

In November 2009, a 4-0 mauling of Mick McCarthy’s team at the Bridge opened an eight-point lead at the top for Carlo Ancelotti’s eventual champions.

The initial promise of Graham Potter’s tenure was reinforced by a 3-0 victory in October 2022; Armando Broja came off the bench to seal it with his first senior goal.

And in January, Tosin Adarabioyo opened his Chelsea account, only for Matt Doherty to reply for Wolves before the break. Then, around the hour mark, the Londoners claimed the spoils with quick-fire finishes from Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke.

Know this…

Chelsea are targeting a fourth straight victory over Wolves across all competitions for the third time this century.

The Blues have recorded five or more goals in four separate Premier League matches against Wanderers – a club record for both teams.

James Collins was co-caretaker of Wolves after Bruno Lage’s departure in October 2022. His first match was at Stamford Bridge and ended in a 3-0 defeat to the Blues.

The Club World Cup winners have recorded 52 shots on target this season – a Premier League high.

Wolves have won once at Stamford Bridge throughout the Premier League era.

As this is the closest home match to Remembrance Day, those inside Stamford Bridge will be asked to observe a minute’s silence before kick-off in memory of those who lost their lives in two world wars.

The latest Chelsea Heritage Partnership event showcases memorabilia and presentations about Remembrance and the players who served in WW1, the legendary Moscow Dynamo friendly on its 80th anniversary, plus memorable moments against Wolves. Free entry at the Tea Bar from 6pm.

On this day in 1971, Chelsea ran out 6-0 victors over Jimmy Armfield’s Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup at Burnden Park. The hat-trick hero was Tommy Baldwin, with Charlie Cooke opening the scoring and John Hollins hitting two.