West Ham vs Wolves Preview: Hammers Target Crucial Win in Relegation Battle

West Ham United will welcome 20th-place Wolverhampton Wanderers to the London Stadium on Friday night.

The Hammers will be looking for a win in their quest to escape the relegation zone, as they can potentially move up to 17th in the league standings. While Wolves mathematically can still escape relegation, based on their Premier League performances, it seems increasingly unlikely.

Last Meetings

Wolverhampton Wanderers have won three of their last five meetings in all competitions. Their most recent clash took place at Molineux, where Wolves secured a 3–0 win, with all the goals coming in the first half after a faultless display from Mateus Mane.

West Ham had more of the ball but struggled to make it count, registering just six shots and an xG of 0.25, compared to Wolves’ 11 shots, three big chances and an xG of 1.87.

Injury / Suspension

For the hosts, West Ham United will be without Lukasz Fabianski, Jean-Clair Todibo and, most notably, Crysencio Summerville, who is sidelined with a calf injury.

Wolves will be without Leon Chiwome, who is out with a cruciate ligament injury, and Enso Gonzalez, who is also unavailable with a knee issue.

Players to Watch

For West Ham, Jarrod Bowen is one to watch as he leads the team in both goals and assists, with eight goals and six assists. Bowen also leads the Hammers in xA and big chances created with nine.

Callum Wilson is second in the scoring charts and is another key threat, while El Hadji Malick Diouf has also been crucial, sitting second in the team’s assist rankings.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka leads the team in interceptions per game, while Mateus Fernandes leads West Ham in tackles per game with 2.8.

For Wolves, Rodrigo Gomes and Tolu Arokodare lead the scoring charts. David Moller-Wolfe and Adam both lead the assist chart with two assists each.

Hugo Bueno has created the most big chances (four) and leads in key passes per game (1.1). João Gomes leads in tackles per game with 2.9, while Hugo Bueno also leads in interceptions per game alongside Ladislav Krejci.