Wolverhampton Wanderers vs West Ham United

Molineux Stadium forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Premier League showdown between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United.

Wolverhampton failed to recover from a 2-0 slump in an all-West Midlands derby against Aston Villa, drawing 1-1 with relegation-threatened Burnley in midweek Premier League action. A third winless league encounter in their last four (D1, L2) has significantly dented Wolves’ European aspirations, but it’s not all lost yet. Gary O’Neil’s men trail seventh-placed West Ham by three points ahead of their return to Molineux, where they’ve won back-to-back league outings via a single-goal margin. Another tight victory would do for the Wanderers, and they seem well-positioned to pull it off, having won their last two home league meetings with West Ham via an identical 1-0 scoreline. However, a dismal 3-0 defeat in December’s reverse fixture means they can’t take anything for granted, especially considering they generated a meager 0.64 xG in that clash.

Meanwhile, West Ham hauled back an early deficit to hold Tottenham to a gutsy 1-1 draw in midweek, registering their third stalemate across their last four Premier League matches (L1). With five sides breathing down their necks, David Moyes’ side can ill-afford another slip-up if they’re to strengthen their pursuit of European qualification. But playing outside London has proved problematic for the Hammers in 2024, as they’ve claimed just one win on seven competitive road trips this calendar year (W1, D1, L5). Moreover, four of their five defeats during that dire traveling sequence came ‘to nil,’ increasing the likelihood of another underwhelming result at Molineux. West Ham’s profligacy gains more weight when considering they’ve conceded the opening goal in ten of their 15 away league games this season.