Well, it looks like we have some major team news ahead of Chelsea’s next Premier League clash, at home versus Wolverhampton Wanderers. Frank Lampard is out, and Thomas Tuchel, 47, is in at the managerial position. Lampard, 42, now departs with a record of 44 wins, 17 draws and 23 losses.
As a player, he made 429 appearances and scored 147 goals, where he won the league three times, the FA Cup four times and the Champions League once. He did not win a single trophy during his short (but still longer than the average for Blues bosses) stint as Chelsea manager.
Chelsea FC at Leicester City FYIs
Kick off: 6pm GMT, Wed. Jan 27, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Premier League Position: Chelsea 9th, 29 pts Wolverhampton Wanderers 14th, 22 pts
Premier League Form Guide: Chelsea LWLDL, Wolverhampton Wanderers LLDLD
Odds via Bet 365: Chelsea win 1.60, Chelsea win or draw 1.16, Wolves lose or draw 1.16
Team news for both sides
There are conflicting reports about the availability of Tuchel for this clash. He’s currently in Germany, pending the results of a coronavirus test and should be in England in the next 48 hours, according to The Athletic. Meanwhile Bild claims that he’s already in London and will meet the squad after their training session.
According to some reports, the Chelsea squad didn’t learn of Lampard’s dismissal until after the announcement had been made. In terms of player news, this match will come too soon for midfielder N’Golo Kante, but he is the side’s only injury concern at present.
Switching over to Wolves, Daniel Podence is nearing a return to full fitness, and he’ll be a game time decision. However, Marcal, Jonny and Raul Jimenez all remain out. Finally, Willian Jose joined the club this past weekend and he could make his full debut here.
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Wolves 0
While both sides are really struggling right now, Chelsea have won six of their last seven, across all competitions, against the Midlands club and should be able to take all three points here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.