West Ham vs Wolves: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Given the run both sides are on, it’s fair to assume every possibility is on the cards here. One thing it feels safe to expect is goals, with over 2.5 goals having been scored in three of West Ham’s last five matches and four of Wolves’ last five games.

Both teams are amidst similar runs of form and both sides are coming off the back of a pair of damaging defeats, so we’re going to back a share of the spoils in what should be a high-scoring game. West Ham 2-2 Wolves.

Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil are fighting for their futures at their respective clubs as West Ham United take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Monday night.

• Date: 09/12/2024
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: London Stadium, London

West Ham come into this game 14th in the Premier League with 15 points from 14 games. The Hammers aren’t quite as precariously placed as some of the other sides involved in the relegation battle, but manager Lopetegui is under as much pressure as any of his counterparts beneath him in the table, largely because the Hammers have been one of the most disappointing teams, if not the most disappointing team, in the league.

A summer of heavy investment in the transfer window saw the Hammers splash upwards of £100m on bolstering their squad, but such heavy investments have yielded nothing but regression under Lopetegui, so unless he can quickly start to produce noticeable improvements, his days in London are likely coming to a close.
West Ham’s problems are myriad, but the most pressing concern is their defence, as they come into this game having conceded just shy of two goals per game (27), a rate that puts them 17th in the league in the goals conceded table. Given the Hammers spent over £50m on Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the summer - while also loaning Jean-Clair Todibo, who will reportedly be available to the Hammers for €40m in summer 2025 - you can see why Lopetegui is under such intense pressure.
The irony is that West Ham replaced their most successful manager in recent times - David Moyes, who guided the club to 9th last season - because he was ostensibly the anchor that was preventing them from hitting the next level, in favour of the always more sexy Spanish option. There’s a lesson there, but that’s a conversation for another day.

West Ham are coming into this game fresh off the back of two very damaging defeats, and it’s hard to imagine that a loss against a team in the relegation zone could be survived by Lopetegui. Even a draw might turn out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, so expect a very, very tense atmosphere at the London Stadium this weekend.
Like West Ham, Wolves have endured a torrid campaign, and to an even greater extent, as they come into this one in 19th place with 9 points from 14 games. Predictably, then, manager Gary O’Neil’s job is reportedly very much on the line as club officials really start to ponder the prospect of relegation.
Wolves have, quite frankly, been embarrassing defensively, as they come into this game having conceded 36 goals in 14 matches, the most in the league by a distance. Their defensive frailty was evident from the very early days of this season, and O’Neil’s inability to address the problem is very much a red flag and does not help his case to continue in his role.

Wolves were unlucky in that they had a very tough start to the campaign, playing Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City all in their first eight games of the season, so it was always going to be hard for them to recover psychologically from so many defeats so early on in the season. O’Neil will certainly feel like that has been a contributing factor, and it’s probably something he’ll feel hard done by.
Regardless, feeling sorry for himself will do him no favours now, as he simply has to produce something, anything, that can help his team win three points in London this weekend. Wolves succumbed to their most damaging defeat of the season in midweek, so another loss here would surely be the final nail in O’Neil’s coffin.

This game will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event.

West Ham Team News:

The Hammers come into this game with a clean bill of health, with Jean-Clair Todibo the only potential absentee as he attempts to recover from a knock, but given reports of a half-time bust-up with Lopetegui during the recent loss to Arsenal, his involvement here feels unlikely, regardless of his fitness levels.

Changes will no doubt be made after the game at Leicester in the week, with Emerson Palmieri and Lucas Paquetá both vying for a recall to the starting XI, while Niclas Füllkrug will be hoping to start after a goal off the bench last time out.

Predicted line-up: Fabiański; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Álvarez, Paquetá; Bowen, Souček, Kudus; Fülkrug

Wolves Team News:

Wolves will be without the services of Yerson Mosquera, Boubacar Traore, Enso González and Saša Kalajdžić, all of whom remain out injured.

Nélson Semedo is available once again after serving a one-match suspension, so he should come back into the starting line-up on the right flank.

Predicted line-up: Sá; Bueno, Dawson, T. Gomes; Semedo, André, Lemina, J. Gomes; Cunha, Aït-Nouri; Larsen

West Ham enter this game with just one win from their last five games. In the week, the Hammers travelled to struggling Leicester and fell to what was no doubt deemed an unacceptable defeat by the West Ham board. An early Jamie Vardy goal put Leicester 1-0 up, and by injury-time, West Ham were trailing 3-0, with a late consolation goal by Niclas Füllkrug softening the blow to ensure the game ended 3-1.

Before that, West Ham were comprehensively beaten 2-5 by Arsenal, with all seven goals coming in the first half - Emerson and Aaron Wan-Bissaka grabbed the goals for Lopetegui’s men.

Those results were followed by a surprise 2-0 win away at Newcastle where Tomáš Souček and Wan-Bissaka helped the Hammers to a shock three points, a game that was preceded by a 0-0 draw against Everton and a 3-0 loss away at Nottingham Forest.

Wolves’ form reads more positively on paper, with Gary O’Neil’s men having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five games. However, they are coming off the back of two poor losses, the most recent of which was a 4-0 defeat to Everton, a result that would have been very difficult to take for everyone involved with the club.

Prior to that, an amateurish defensive showing from Wolves saw them concede three penalties in one game in a 2-4 loss to Bournemouth, meaning they’ve conceded eight goals in their last two outings.

Those results followed a 4-1 win at Fulham, where Matheus Cunha (X2), João Gomes and Gonçalo Guedes grabbed the goals, a 2-0 win over Southampton, courtesy of Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha, and a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, with Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Guéhi getting on the scoresheet.

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