Mark Lawrenson has backed Chelsea to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Helder Costa in action with Liverpool’s Ben Woodburn and Oviemuno Ejaria
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Chelsea will beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the FA Cup this evening.
Hosts Wolves pulled off a huge shock in the last round, as they went away to Anfield to take on Liverpool, and picked up a 2-1 win with a superb display.
Paul Lambert’s men have now been handed the chance to pull off another surprise by being drawn against Premier League leaders Chelsea at Molineux.
Wolves have struggled in the Championship of late though, as they have lost each of their last three league games, with defeats at the hands of Burton Albion, Newcastle United and Wigan Athletic.
Their chances of beating Chelsea look slim, with the Blues still leading the Premier League after a 1-1 draw away at Burnley last weekend.
Antonio Conte’s men sit eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table, and are unbeaten in the last five league games, winning three of those.
Ahead of this evening’s game, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Chelsea will claim a 1-0 win at Molineux, suggesting that Conte certainly won’t want a replay.
Mark Lawrenson
Lawrenson added that he thinks Wolves’ Portuguese winger Helder Costa will sign for a Premier League club in the near future, despite only penning a permanent deal from Benfica last month.
“I was at Wolves’ 2-1 win over Liverpool in the last round and they had a real go,” said Lawrenson. “Their left-sided attacker Helder Costa looked a real handful that day and two days later Wolves announced that they had bought him for £13m on a permanent deal. One way or another, I think he will end up in the Premier League soon.”
“Chelsea looked very good for the first 20 minutes of their draw against Burnley, but were pretty ordinary for the next 70. They didn’t get beaten though and that is why they are going to win the league. They may not be involved in any other competitions, but manager Antonio Conte won’t want the bother of a replay,” he added.
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