Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side are set to play their final Premier League game of the season against Wolves this weekend, and the sheer magnitude of what’s on the line for the Stamford Bridge club should be enough to get them over the line. Mental motivation has obviously been a problem at the West London outfit for a while now. If Lampard can instigate his team into picking up three points on the weekend, then their entire season would have to be branded a raging success.
The Pensioners’ chances of making the top four going into the season were extremely bleak, but it must be conceded that they have been one of the surprise packages of the campaign. Not only do the Blues currently find themselves just a point away from securing UCL football, but they also have an FA Cup final against Arsenal to look forward to in the coming weeks. Their most recent defeat at the hands of the league champions did leave a lot of positives for the gaffer to take home and ensuring that they perform at their absolute best for one more fixture would satisfy even the most pessimistic of Stamford Bridge faithful.
Team News
The only real injury concern for Lampard going into this crucial tie comes in the form of N’Golo Kante’s absence. Although the Frenchman was initially expected to miss only a couple of outings, he didn’t feature in the most recent game against Liverpool either, which means that it’s unlikely Lampard would risk utilising him from the start. The World Cup winner’s influence in the core of this Chelsea team is apparent to see, and not having him in contention is sure to be a blow to Lampard’s ambitions.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Wolverhampton Wanderers:
Predicted 4-3-3 Chelsea Lineup Vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga has been the subject of various questions over the last many weeks, but considering that there’s only one game left in the league, it’s unlikely that Lampard will drop him for this tie. In front of the Spaniard, expect Chelsea to revert to a back-four for this fixture against Wolves, with wing-back Marcos Alonso expected to drop down to the bench. This means that Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James will fill the full-back roles, with Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma continuing as the centre-half pairing.
Midfield
Italian international midfielder Jorginho has started the last couple of fixtures for Chelsea and hasn’t necessarily been bad in his role in the engine room. His passing and movement have been essential to the Blues’ attacking play, and he’s hence expected to start this tie. In front of him, Mason Mount could be pushed back into one of the midfield roles by Lampard for this match, having been deployed as the winger in their last two outings. Mateo Kovacic has arguably been the Blues’ best player all season, and the Croat is set to keep his place in the side too.
Attack
The introduction of a new-look front-three in the second half is what it took for Chelsea to produce a reaction against Liverpool. Although Lampard is unlikely to alter his attack completely, we could see the introduction of Christian Pulisic back into the first-team picture. The American has started the last couple of games as a substitute but had an immediate impact after coming on against the champions. Olivier Giroud and Willian are likely to retain their places in the Blues’ front-three for this outing though.
