Nuno said: "It was very clear. The decision was made and I was very clear in my intention.

"I was pleased because John performed very well. John was very confident and he was very stable, which is what we were looking for.

"Now we play Chelsea, we focus on this game."

Wolves beat Chelsea 2-1 in December and have lost just four games in the 18 outings since.

They are seventh, 13 points behind their hosts, in the Premier League, with Nuno admitting the victory over Maurizio Sarri's side was a turning point.

"You face such tough opponents so it's very hard because of the challenge, but it's one of the things we're trying to do," he said.

"That (the win over Chelsea) was a very important moment because it ended a very bad moment, a bad run we had.

"It was a turning point in the competition but we know there are always ups and downs.

"When you have something that doesn't work out, it's about bouncing back and recovering and returning to these standards again.

"We made those against Cardiff after a bad performance, so let's sustain that consistency and challenge ourselves on Sunday.

"We don't think about beating them.

"We think about Chelsea and we know what we're going to face – fantastic players, a fantastic manager, ideal football – it's very difficult but we have to try and be focused on what we can do to prevent Chelsea playing.

"When you have the ball you have to play of course. We know how to play."

Nuno is without the suspended Ryan Bennett, who starts a two-game ban after collecting 10 yellow cards.

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