Wolves will look to rebound from Thursday’s setback at Arsenal when they travel to the capital to face West Ham United on Sunday.
West Ham and Wolves have placed themselves in a strong position to compete for the Premier League’s European spots this season. They could even end up making a late push for a top-four finish as potential dark horses, with the two clubs currently four and six points behind fourth-placed Manchester United respectively.
West Ham United have somewhat lost pace in the battle for a top-four finish in recent weeks. While they are unbeaten in the top-flight since a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in late January, back-to-back draws against Leicester City and Newcastle United and only one win from their last five league games has allowed other top-four rivals to ramp up the pressure.
The Hammers are currently sitting sixth in the table, three points adrift of fifth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand. So David Moyes’s side would be desperate to return to winning ways sooner rather than later ahead of a tough run of fixtures that includes a FA Cup fifth-round tie against Southampton, a daunting league trip to Anfield, and a crucial Europa League Round of 16 encounter against Sevilla.
Wolves, on the other hand, come into the game following a narrow 2-1 loss at Arsenal on Thursday evening. The visitors had led for the first 80 minutes before crumbling completely and conceding twice in the final ten minutes to come away empty-handed.
They will be a wounded animal this weekend, making them tricky opponents, and the Arsenal defeat only appears to be a minor blip in their overall form. Wolves have emerged victorious in five of their last seven Premier League games, winning at Manchester United and Tottenham along the way.
Bruno Lage’s side is currently seventh in the standings, and should they eke out a result here, they would go above West Ham. Wolves put on an extremely convincing performance in the reverse fixture in November, with an excellent Raul Jimenez strike from the edge of the box enough to secure a 1-0 win.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
? Rush Green#WHUWOL in our sights ? pic.twitter.com/dVLpAmcc8r
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 25, 2022
David Moyes confirmed during Friday’s pre-match media briefing that Andriy Yarmolenko had been given time off due to the recent events in his native country Ukraine. Vladimir Coufal is set to miss the next few weeks, having undergone a groin operation, while Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku remain the other absences for the Hammers heading into this encounter.
Moyes usually likes to keep his starting lineup stable, but given the current slump in performance levels, he may want to make minor tweaks. Lukasz Fabianski will get the nod to feature in goal, with the Hammers lining up in their customary 4-2-3-1 system in front of him.
Kurt Zouma will start and operate alongside Craig Dawson at the heart of the West Ham defence. The duo will look to keep things solid at the back and offer an aerial threat from set-pieces on the other end of the pitch, with Dawson scoring in the last two games for the Hammers.
Ben Johnson could return to the starting lineup at right-back in place of the sub-par Ryan Fredericks. On the opposite flank, Aaron Cresswell will keep his place at left-back and look to put quality balls into the opposition box for the forward line.
Declan Rice is a certain starter in the middle of the park, partnering up alongside the physical presence of Tomas Soucek. The duo will try to dominate the midfield battle and provide the Irons with much-needed forward thrust.
Jarrod Bowen will be look to continue his good form, operating almost as an auxiliary striker after bagging seven goals in his last eight games in all competitions. The Englishman will get the support from Pablo Fornals and tricky winger Said Benrahma as they form a potent trio just behind striker Michail Antonio, who has not scored in his last six Premier League outings.
Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Johnson, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio
Wolves
Prior to the game at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening, Wolves boss Bruno Lage had a fully-fit squad at his disposal to pick from, with Pedro Neto returning from a long-term knee injury, while Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera were also back in contention.
However, Nelson Semedo appeared to have picked up a hamstring injury during the defeat to Arsenal. Other than that, Lage has no fresh injury concerns and should persist with his preferred 3-4-3 system, although he may ponder making changes given the short recovery time between their two games.
Looking to get ? to winning ways.
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 26, 2022
Portuguese shot-stopper Jose Sa will look to make amends for his late mistake against Arsenal between the sticks for the West Midlands outfit. He will be shielded by a rock-solid three-man defence comprising Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss.
Rayan Ait-Nouri could retain his spot at left wing-back, whereas Jonny Otto replaced Semedo last time out for his first appearance in ten months following a serious knee injury and will start here. Lage could also shuffle the pack in midfield, with Leander Dendoncker potentially coming in for Joao Moutinho to partner an in-form Ruben Neves in the double-pivot.
Pedro Neto could be handed his first start for Wolves in over a year after coming off the bench in recent games. The Portuguese winger’s sensational pace, direct dribbling and trickery could be a serious threat on the left flank, whereas Hwang Hee-chan will offer width and sharp movement down the opposite wing. Raul Jimenez will lead the charge for the visitors up top with his effective hold-up play and competent finishing.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Sa; Kilman, Coady, Saiss; Jonny, Dendoncker, Neves, Ait-Nouri; Hwang, Jimenez, Neto
Key Stats
- The Hammers ran out comfortable 4-0 winners in the corresponding fixture last term, having lost three of their last four home league games against Wolves.
- West Ham are looking to win successive home league games against Wolves for the first time since October 2004.
- The visitors have lost two of their last three top-flight games against West Ham. They did, however, win the reverse fixture earlier this season.
- The Irons have the seventh-best home league record this season, picking up 21 points from their 13 matches (W6 D3 L4).
- Wolves have impressed on their travels, winning seven of their 13 games (D2 L4), the third-best away win record in the division.
Player to Watch
Jarrod Bowen
The English attacker appears to be in the form of his life, earning deserved plaudits for his stellar displays. An England call-up from Gareth Southgate looks likely for the 25-year-old ahead of the next international break.
Bowen has been involved in 23 goals for West Ham across all competitions this season (12 goals, 11 assists), making him the highest attacking contributor at the club. He would once again be looking to make a major contribution to earn his side a favourable result.
Prediction
West Ham United 1-1 Wolves
West Ham will undoubtedly be the fresher of the two teams, and it remains to be seen whether Wolves can recover from their intense game against Arsenal on Thursday. With the two sides only separated by two points in the table, a lot is riding on this fixture, which means a tight contest could be on the cards, given both teams boast strong defences.
The Hard Tackle predicts a cagey affair at the London Stadium that will end all square with both sides sharing the spoils, which would not be an ideal result for either team at this juncture of the season.
