West Ham vs Wolves – News and Probable Lineups

Two Premier League sides entrenched in the relegation zone will clash at the London Stadium on Friday night, with West Ham United hosting bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Hammers will be looking for redemption against a revitalized Old Gold side, following a 3-0 defeat at Molineux in their earlier encounter on January 3.

Match overview

West Ham’s pursuit of their first FA Cup semi-final in twenty years ended cruelly last weekend. Despite a commendable comeback to equalize at 2-2 after extra time at the London Stadium, they ultimately fell to Leeds United in a tense penalty shootout.

Prior to the international break, the Hammers also suffered a 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa in their latest Premier League match, placing them 18th in the standings, just one point behind Tottenham Hotspur, who sit in 17th. The upcoming fixture presents a crucial chance to overtake their London rivals and avoid the drop zone.

John McGinn’s opener for Aston Villa marked the 17th Premier League goal that West Ham has conceded from set pieces this season (excluding penalties); no team has conceded more, and they have only allowed more in a single campaign once before in 2002-03 (18).

Despite ongoing concerns about their defensive frailty from set pieces, West Ham’s home performance has shown slight improvement of late, having lost just one of their last six Premier League matches at the London Stadium (W1 D4), earning more points during this stretch (seven) than they did in their first nine home fixtures of the season (six – W2 L7).

The Hammers head into the contest having secured victories in their last five Premier League home meetings with Wolves; only against Blackburn Rovers (nine from 1996 to 2008), Middlesbrough (seven from 2000 to 2009), and Sunderland (six from 2002 to 2010) have they achieved more consecutive wins against a single opponent in the division.

Following a dismal 11-game losing streak from October 18 to December 27, Wolves have bounced back, losing just four of their last 13 Premier League matches (W3 D6), with only leaders Arsenal (11), Manchester City (11), and Brighton and Hove Albion (12) conceding fewer goals during that time than the 15 goals given up by Rob Edwards’s squad.

The Old Gold currently ranks ninth in the Premier League form chart for the past six gameweeks (W2 D3 L1), showcasing impressive home victories over Champions League contenders Aston Villa (2-0) and Liverpool (2-1), followed by a fighting 2-2 draw at Brentford before the international break.

Nevertheless, Wolves’ recent revival could be interpreted as potentially too late. They are at the very bottom, 13 points away from safety, and have only seven matches left to orchestrate a remarkable escape. Their silver lining is a relatively easy run-in, with five of those matches against teams currently in the bottom half of the standings.

A newfound attacking sharpness has revitalized Wolves in recent outings, as Edwards’s side has scored two goals in each of their last three Premier League games (W2 D1). This tally of six goals is nearly equal to their total from the preceding eight matches combined (seven), and it’s been since November 2024 that they last scored 2 or more goals in consecutive league fixtures (a five-match stretch).

As they approach Friday’s match, Wolves are aiming to secure the double over West Ham for the first time since the 2019-20 season. From 2018 onwards, only Southampton (nine) has faced more Premier League defeats at the hands of the Old Gold than West Ham (eight).

Team News

West Ham’s injury concerns include Crysencio Summerville, Jean-Clair Todibo (both calf), Konstantinos Mavropanos (head), and Callum Wilson (undisclosed), all of whom will be evaluated prior to kickoff. Backup goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (back) will remain unavailable.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was absent for the FA Cup loss to Leeds because he was ‘detained’ by DR Congo to celebrate with the national squad and the country’s president after their World Cup qualification last week. The right-back returned to training with West Ham on Tuesday, suggesting he should be fit for selection against Wolves.

Jarrod Bowen has found the net more often against Wolves in the Premier League than any other club (six), with five of those goals coming during his last five home encounters. The West Ham captain might be supported in attack by Valentin Castellanos and either Pablo or former Wolves winger Adama Traore.

For the Old Gold, defender Enso Gonzalez (knee) remains sidelined and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is a doubt due to a knock, but the rest of Edwards’s squad is anticipated to be fully fit and ready to compete.

While Joao Gomes, Andre, and Yerson Mosquera are all on the verge of a two-match suspension with a single booking, all three are still expected to maintain their spots in the starting XI, with the first two in midfield and the latter likely to play in defense.

Mateus Mane scored his first professional goal for Wolves in the 3-0 triumph over West Ham in January. The 18-year-old is anticipated to start in either midfield or attack, and if he takes the midfield position, Tolu Arokodare or Hwang Hee-chan could be reinstated in the starting lineup alongside January acquisition Adam Armstrong.

West Ham United probable starting XI:

Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf; Fernandes, Magassa, Soucek; Bowen, Pablo, Castellanos

Wolverhampton Wanderers probable starting XI:

Sa; Mosquera, S. Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, J. Gomes, Andre, Mane, H. Bueno; Armstrong, Arokodare

The last 16 Premier League encounters between West Ham and Wolves have all produced a winner, with each team claiming eight victories. The Hammers have not scored in all eight of those losses, yet we expect Nuno’s side to breach the net this Friday.

While another spirited performance from Wolves is likely, a West Ham team eager to escape the relegation zone may just edge this contest in what should be a tightly fought match.