Pressure on Chelsea for Wolves boss

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy insists all the pressure is on opponents Chelsea after claiming the champions are in "desperate" need of the points.

The manager has attempted to add to the growing strain on Carlo Ancelotti's faltering multi-millionaires tonight, who have won just one of their last eight Premier League games.

McCarthy said: "To come here having lost the games and the ground on the leaders they have, they are really desperately in need of points. So the pressure's on them.

"Maybe they're not scared of us but the nerves are there because Chelsea should beat Wolves.

"I'm not suggesting they will, but if it heaps a little bit more pressure on them then 'happy days!'

"Despite Chelsea not playing well, we're a serious underdog, and that's not a bad place to be."

Ancelotti showed the strain at his press briefing yesterday when he dismissed Wolves.

Asked if he was worried about his job if they didn't win at Molineux, the Italian scoffed: "We will not lose. We will win.

"There's no more pressure on me."

But after toppling Manchester City and Liverpool this season, McCarthy is eager to complete an unlikely treble.

He said: "The way things have gone, we're likely to take points off them and because of the way we've played against them, there's every chance we will.

"I'd think Carlo Ancelotti is looking at this game as one they should win if they're in crisis.

"But surely it's better playing them now than when they were slapping everyone by seven goals? It might be our game that sees us to four wins out of seven instead of three out of six.

"Frank Lampard was out for three or four months and Didier Drogba had malaria. Chelsea have missed their top players. They don't just come back and turn it on straight away.

"Clearly Chelsea aren't as invincible as they were but they have the potential to be."

Despite winning the double last season, McCarthy insisted Ancelotti is under pressure because of the massive expectations of billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

The Wolves boss said: "He is under pressure because he's expected to win the league.

"Everyone will be expecting them to turn it on - probably tonight."