West Ham will travel to Wolverhampton this Saturday to take on Julen Lopetegui’s Wolves side in their first fixture of the 2022/23 Premier League season return games.
Venue: Molineux Stadium (Wolverhampton)
Key Statistics
Wolves have lost their last four Premier League (PL) meetings at home.
They failed to score in three of their last four home league games.
Wolves have a league-low five home goals this season.
The hosts are the only PL side yet to score a home league goal after the hour mark this term.
West Ham are winless in their last six away league games (D2, L4).
They have just two clean sheets in their last ten competitive games.
The visitors are winless in six PL games (D1, L5).
Head to head
Both sides have six wins apiece in 13 Premier League meetings between them.
Latest performances in all competitions
Wolves: L-D-D-L-W
West Ham: W-D-L-L-D
Wolves
Despite the positivity greeted by his hire, things are yet to click for Julen Lopetegui at West Midlands.
The Basque coach, who was brought in late last year to oversee a revival at Wolves, has yet to live up to the expectations of the fans who have watched him record just one league win in the Premier League.
That league win came against struggling Everton on Boxing Day. Since then, the hosts have failed to win, drawing three times (90 minutes only) and losing once.
Their latest outing came in the Carabao Cup against Nottingham Forest. Unfortunately, they lost the game on penalties after coming from a goal down to record a 1-1 draw. This game is a must-win for Wolves, who currently sit in 19th place, two points behind safety.
However, their form at home doesn’t inspire confidence as Wolves return to Molineux after a chain of four straight PL home defeats, three of which saw them fail to score. With a league-low five home goals this season, Lopetegui may consider giving loan signing Matheus Cunha his first start up front.
Wolves starting line-up
Jose Sa, Nélson Semedo, Nathan Collins, Max Kilman, Hugo Bueno, Matheus Nunes, Rúben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Hee-Chan Hwang, Diego Costa, Daniel Podence.
Injured: Boubacar Traoré, Pedro Neto
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
West Ham
Like their hosts, West Ham have also struggled badly after enjoying much success last season.
The Hammers mixed up with the top six clubs last season on their way to a seventh-place finish. But this year, they are mixing up with the bottom teams and come into this tie sitting in 17th place, one point above the relegation zone.
So, they could end this weekend entirely in the red zone if they lose this game. Talks about sacking David Moyes are gaining momentum, so this now becomes a must-win for the Scotsman, who has overseen a run of just one point from West Ham’s last six PL games.
That sole point came in their last outing–a 2-2 draw with Leeds United. That result ended a five-game losing run in the league and was the first time the Hammers scored more than one goal in an away game since a 3-2 win away to Silkeborg in early September.
Having secured a 1-0 FA Cup win over Brentford in midweek, they will now look to make it three away games unbeaten for the first time since last season.
Possible West Ham starting line-up
Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Nayef Aguerd, Craig Dawson, Thilo Kehrer, Tomáš Souček, Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paquetá, Pablo Fornals, Michail Antonio.
Injured: Maxwel Cornet, Kurt Zouma
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Odds
| Wolves to win | Draw | West Ham United to win | |
| Odds | 2.60 | 3.30 | 2.75 |
| Probability (%) | 37 | 29 | 35 |
Prediction
Wolves 0-0 West Ham
