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Will it be Son Heung-min's Day yesterday and Hwang Hee-chan's Day today? Expectations are high on whether Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Hwang Hee-chan will present a congratulatory speech to fans ahead of Christmas against Chelsea.

Wolverhampton will play a home game against Chelsea in the 18th round of the 2023/24 season of the Premier League at Molineux Stadium in Olverhampton, England, at 10 p.m. on the 24th. Wolverhampton, which is ranked 14th in the league with five wins, four draws and eight losses and 19 points, will pave the way for a mid-range leap against Chelsea, which has been sluggish throughout the season (6 wins, four draws and seven losses, 22 points).

Prior to the match, the starting lists of both teams were released. Wolverhampton, the home team, will play in a 3-4-3 formation. Jose Sa, who had been out of power due to injury, will defend the goal in a long time. Craig Dawson, Max Kilman, and Toti Gomes will form the back three. Ait Nuri, João Gomes, Mario Lemina, and Nelsong Semedo will form the midfield, while Hwang Hee-chan will start as the top three players in the front line along with Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha.

Away team Chelsea face each other 4-2-3-1. Jorge Petrovic wears goalkeeper gloves. The defense will be played by Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill. With Leslie Ugochukwu and Conor Gallagher at the waist, Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer and Nicola Jackson are in the second line. Armando Broja will be in charge of the front line one-top.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min scored his 11th league goal the day before, giving a gift to fans ahead of Christmas. This time, it is Hwang Hee-chan's turn to shoot a goal against Chelsea.

If Hwang Hee-chan succeeds in scoring against Chelsea, he will have scored double-digit goals for the first time in this season since joining the Premier League. Hwang has eight goals and two assists in 17 league games this season. He has also added one goal in the League Cup, recording a total of nine goals this season. If he scores one more goal, he will break the 10-goal mark for the season.

Hwang Hee-chan, who entered the Premier League wearing a Wolverhampton uniform in the 2021/22 season, scored five goals and one assist in 30 league games in his first season. It was the highest number of goals scored by a Korean player in his first season in the Premier League.

However, in the last season, he collapsed due to injury whenever there was a good trend, resulting in disappointing performances. He had only three goals and one assist in 27 league games. He added one goal at the FA Cup and two assists at the League Cup to post a total of four goals and three assists during this season, but his playing time has clearly decreased, and he has been mentioned as a target for release.

He has completely changed this season. With the most goals scored in his team, he is filling the void left by main striker Raul Jimenez after his departure to Fulham. Hwang Hee-chan, who has eight goals in the league, will be tied for sixth along with Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) if he adds one goal in the match against Chelsea.

The mood is good. Hwang Hee-chan, who has shown good performance this season, recently renewed his contract with Wolverhampton through June 2028. He extended his existing contract by two more years, which was until 2026. His weekly wage has also increased significantly. Hwang Hee-chan, who was paid 30,000 pounds (49.8 million won) a week, is said to have received up to 90,000 pounds (147.62 million won) from Pablo Sarabia, the club's highest-paid player.

Hwang Hee-chan said, "I'm really happy to stay here. I want to say thank you to my teammates, coaching staff, family and fans," adding, "I'm really happy to stay in Wolverhampton. I'm enjoying playing here, and I'm enjoying life and everything, including soccer. I'm with my very good teammates and players, and everything is amazing. I want to keep playing well, and I'm ready to give everything."

"The nine goals I scored this season make me happy, but I want to thank my teammates, coaching staff and my family. You cannot achieve goals and help alone. I have learned a lot from the coaching staff, so my goals are for the team. I will do my best to help the team," he said. "I am not satisfied with the new contract. Sometimes I talk about our ambitions with my teammates, but we share the same ambition. I am more responsible for victory and ready to fight for the team."

"I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'll keep doing my best. I'll play for my team, for my fans, for my family. I hope I can enjoy this time, and I'll do my best every day and we'll keep going," he said, expressing his intention to continue his recent momentum.

Meanwhile, Hwang Hee-chan has scored no goals in three matches against Chelsea. After joining Wolverhampton in the 2020/21 season, he failed to score an offensive point as all of them were substituted against Chelsea. Wolverhampton is fiercely competing with Chelsea with one win, one draw and one loss in the three matches that Hwang Hee-chan played in. If Hwang Hee-chan succeeds in scoring, he will not only score his first double-digit goal of the season but also score his first goal against Chelsea.

In the UK, Hwang Hee-chan is expected to continue to play as a starter in this game. Football London in England has included Hwang Hee-chan in the Wolverhampton predicted lineup. In a simulation based on the world-class soccer game FC24, Hwang Hee-chan was expected to play a role in the offensive along with Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha.

As expected, Hwang Hee-chan was listed on the starting list against Chelsea. Attention is focusing on whether Hwang Hee-chan will present a congratulatory speech to domestic soccer fans on Christmas Eve.