Fifth-placed Chelsea welcome Wolverhampton, currently in 18th position in the Premier League table, for another Saturday 3pm kick-off – the Blues’ fourth in eight Premier League matches. Graham Potter will hope his unbeaten start extends into a first victory in five games for the Londoners over Wolves; the last three meetings have been draws.

If so, the Blues will take the undefeated home run in all competitions against Wanderers to 13 games, stretching back 43 years to March 1979. That is our second longest-running home streak behind the one against Fulham, whose last win was in 1964.

Wolves are unbeaten in four games against the Blues home and away but recently it has not been their best moment. Caretaker managers James Collins and Steve Davis will be in charge of the visitors this weekend, a record of three goals in eight league games and blanks in their last two outings prompting the dismissal of Bruno Lage.

This is the first league action at Stamford Bridge for more than a month but Chelsea will be buoyed by a big home win on the European front in midweek. The Londoners have scored at least two goals in our past four league matches at the Bridge and are unbeaten there in seven.

• How was the game against Milan won?

• Ruben on ruthlessness

• New third kit has landed

In each of the last two league fixtures the Blues have come from behind to win 2-1; we have never conceded first and won three times in succession in the Premier League.

Chelsea team news

There was plenty to admire in Wednesday’s comprehensive defeat of AC Milan, not least the relentless hunting and gathering, burgeoning partnerships across the field, and resilience under occasional pressure. The five-man Cobham crew shone again, notably the redoubtable Reece James (now the youngest Chelsea player to assist and score in the same Champions League match) and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the driving central midfield role many believe best utilises his strengths.

With set-play coach Anthony Barry prompting from the touchline, crosses lofted over Milan’s first line of defence caused problems for the visitors, and brought the breakthrough for Wesley Fofana, his first for the Blues. He joins Ben Chilwell and Conor Gallagher in the ‘one goal, one shot on target’ club; with his second in successive games since discarding the mask, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now on two from two.

However, if the Blues’ head coach fancied copying and pasting the same teamsheet for Wolves he is out of luck as Fofana came off with a knee injury, with confirmation on how long he will be absent likely to come in Potter’s media conference. His replacement on Wednesday night, Trevoh Chalobah, seized the opportunity to remind the new coach of his qualities, while Cesar Azpilicueta or, with a shuffle or two, Marc Cucurella, could also step in. With Tuesday’s trip to Lombardy in mind Thiago Silva might be rested, especially as Kalidou Koulibaly excelled in his first start under Potter.

Edou Mendy returned to the bench in midweek but Kepa Arrizabalaga made his case for retaining the gloves with the first clean sheet of the season since day one at Everton.

Putting the European campaign back on track is one thing, though. Chelsea need to continue racking up positive results to regain lost ground in the top flight. Wounded Wolves are exactly the kind of prey the Blues need to dispatch to reach top four.

Lage boots to fill

While hotseat hopefuls vie to succeed departed boss Bruno Lage, Wolves will be led on Saturday by James Collins and Steve Davis, coaches of their Under-21 and Under-18 squads respectively.

Daniel Podence, their leading scorer with two, conceded ‘we are not scoring goals, we are conceding a lot, so I think we have to show a different character and personality.’ Yet many Wanderers supporters felt the Portuguese was over-loyal to players who started despite a continued lack of form and wanted changes.

With Conor Coady and Willy Body gone and Nathan Collins suspended, Lage moved skipper Ruben Neves from midfield to central defence between Max Kilman and Jonny Otto but in their last game, West Ham won 2-0.

Neves’ switch from midfield left two men, including a 36-year-old Joao Moutinho, filling the gaps. That choice is not an option at Stamford Bridge as Neves has accrued five yellows and is banned.

Lage claimed his team were a different animal with a striker, and injuries for Raul Jimenez, Sasa Kalajdzic and Pedro Neto prompted a late move for Diego Costa, now 34 years old. The former Chelsea man linked well with fellow substitute Adama Traore down the right against the Hammers, and rose high to a cross from his fellow Spain international, though his header was wide of the mark.

The equation the new coaches must solve, though, is that the team with seventh-highest average possession have a lower expected goals total (6.9xG) than any top-flight rival except Aston Villa and Bournemouth. They have scored a division low of three goals.

That said, the Black Country club have been comeback kings against Chelsea since their Premier League return in 2018, salvaging eight points from losing positions against the Blues (more than any other side over that period). In fact, the last occasion they scored more than once in the top flight was the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in May – the first game of the Boehly/Clearlake era.

Diego Costa comes home

Wolves striker Diego Costa, a two-time title-winner with Chelsea and veritable pirate of the playing field, is one of only seven Blues players to notch 50 or more Premier League strikes. Last year at Brazilian Serie A winners Atletico Mineiro he had started a quarter of games and scored four times, most recently in November. The Brazil-born Spain international made his Wanderers debut at West Ham last weekend. Bem vindo a casa, Diego.

Managers' maiden bows

The visitors’ dugout this weekend is likely to be occupied by the first caretaker manager to face Chelsea since Manchester United’s Michael Carrick on 28 November 2021. Whoever is in charge will be the 15th different coach to take on the Blues in their first Premier League outing. Ten of the previous 14 were beaten, with Everton’s Duncan Ferguson in December 2019 the only victor.

No Room For Racism

Players will take the knee before kick-off over the next two weekends to highlight the Premier League’s ‘No Room For Racism’ message and spotlight the action needed to drive discrimination from the game and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

Donations needed

Before the match the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust will be set up at the Oswald Stoll Trust gates on Fulham Road to collect donations for the Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank. Canned food (including vegetarian), long-life drinks and toiletries are needed even more in these difficult times.

Matchweek 10 Premier League fixtures

Saturday 8 October fixtures

• Bournemouth v Leicester 3pm

• Chelsea v Wolves 3pm

• Man City v Southampton 3pm

• Newcastle v Brentford 3pm

• Brighton v Tottenham 5.30pm (Sky Sports)
  

Sunday 9 October fixtures

• Crystal Palace v Leeds 2pm (Sky Sports)

• West Ham v Fulham 2pm

• Arsenal v Liverpool 4.30pm (Sky Sports)

• Everton v Man Utd 7pm (BT Sport)
  

Monday 10 October

• Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa 8pm (Sky Sports)