Wolverhampton Wanderers vs West Ham United

Molineux Stadium forms the backdrop for a bottom-half Premier League encounter between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United.

 Wolves have yet to secure top-flight survival, but a 2-1 win at dead-last Southampton last time out opened up a healthy nine-point gap to the bottom three, putting them in pole position to stay in the Premier League next season. However, only the division’s three worst-ranked sides have picked up fewer home points than Wolverhampton’s 11 (W3, D2, L9), meaning they cannot take anything for granted ahead of West Ham’s visit. Vitor Pereira’s men have fared well in this match-up, beating the Hammers four times in their last six H2Hs at home (L2). Yet, they finished on the receiving end of a 2-1 scoreline in this corresponding fixture in 2023/24 and could lose back-to-back home meetings for the first time since a run of three losses between 1920 and 1922. 

In the meantime, West Ham boast an eight-point lead on Wolves despite sitting just above them in the table. New manager Graham Potter has overseen just one loss in his last four games in charge (W2, D1), as he looks on course to turn the Hammers’ fortunes around. However, entertainment has been at a premium, with seven of West Ham’s last eight matches featured under 2.5 total goals, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring contest. Another win looks likely, though, considering the Irons have won their last three midweek Premier League outings and could make it four on the trot for the first time since May 2021. Moreover, Potter has beaten Wolves in consecutive managerial H2Hs via an identical 3-0 scoreline.