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Wolves vs West Ham – Match Preview

By Alex Smith

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at London Stadium on September 27, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Frank Augstein - Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at London Stadium on September 27, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Frank Augstein - Pool/Getty Images) /
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West Ham travel to Wolves on Saturday 20th November for a 3pm kick-off as David Moyes’ side look to extend their winning run to five Premier League matches in a row.

The Hammers are flying high at the moment, 3rd in the Premier League, top of their Europa League group and through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup having made a fantastic start to the season.

However, their game at Molineux will not be easy, Wolves have made a positive start under new manager, Bruno Lage, and they have won four of their last six Premier League games.

West Ham head to Wolves hoping to extend their excellent run of form, if results go their way they could be joint top of the Premier League table at the end of the weekend.

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – APRIL 05: Jesse Lingard of West Ham United scores their team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United at Molineux on April 05, 2021 in Wolverhampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – APRIL 05: Jesse Lingard of West Ham United scores their team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United at Molineux on April 05, 2021 in Wolverhampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

Team News

Wolves left-back, Fernando Marcal is back having been out with a calf injury since mid October but Rayan Ait-Nouri is expected to start instead. Pedro Neto remains a long-term absentee.

Raul Jimenez has been away on international duty for Mexico and may not be able to feature for 90 minutes due to fatigue. Lage said, “We don’t have too many players so I cannot put anyone under risk for a game. Raul arrived yesterday (Thursday) afternoon so he had time to rest and recover. He trained today (Friday) so now we’re going to take the best decision for tomorrow.”

West Ham will be without Angelo Ogbonna until possibly the end of the season due to a knee injury sustained in the 3-2 win over Liverpool. Craig Dawson is expected to replace him but there is still a chance Issa Diop could start.

Declan Rice withdrew from England duty last week due to illness but he is expected to be back to play Wolves. Nikola Vlasic and Andriy Yarmolenko both had minor issues prior to the international break but have now returned.

From the Managers

Wolves’ Lage said on West Ham, “Their midfielders are strong  and the three strikers in front are runners, so we need to be careful about that.”

He added, “We are playing against a strong team. They are doing well, not just in the Premier League, but also in the Europa League.”

David Moyes commented on the recent investment in the club from Czech billionaire, Daniel Kretinsky, “I had a chance to meet Daniel, he seems a very charming fella and is a really good addition to the board and I am looking forward to working with him. Moyes also joked about his investment saying, “It’s great we got a new coffee machine the other day!”

The Scot also dismissed claims West Ham are in a title race saying, “No, I want to challenge the top four.”

David Moyes, Manager of West Ham United celebrates. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
David Moyes, Manager of West Ham United celebrates. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /

On Ogbonna’s injury he said, “We think surgery will take place over the next couple of days and that is really sad, he has done a great job for us, he is a great boy, a great team player. He is someone we love having around and more importantly his performances have been excellent for us.”

He continued, “I think most people who know about cruciate ligament injuries know they tend to take somewhere around about nine months. I would say it will be hard for Angelo to play again this season.”

Stat Attack 

  • Wolves have triumphed in five Premier League encounters versus West Ham, a tally bettered only by their six wins against Fulham.
  • Wolves have failed to score in all five Premier League defeats this season, while they are unbeaten in all six when they have netted (W5, D1).
  • They are one of two Premier League sides yet to concede from a set-piece this term, along with Manchester City.
  • The Hammers have recorded 65 points in 2021, the league’s third highest total behind Manchester City’s 83 and Chelsea’s 67.
  • West Ham’s tally of 20 top-flight victories in 2021 is their most in a calendar year since registering 21 in 1986.
  • They have scored 32 Premier League set-piece goals (excluding penalties) since David Moyes returned as manager in January 2020 – five more than any other team.
  • His side are unbeaten in 11 away games in all competitions (W8 D3), their longest such run since 2004.