Wolves vs West Ham: Betting Odds & Prediction
(Featured image: Alamy Images)
Wolves host West Ham on Saturday in a key battle in the race for European qualification.
The hosts currently sit tenth, but would overtake seventh-placed West Ham with a win. The Hammers won 3-0 when the teams met earlier this season. Kick-off is set for 3pm at Molineux.
Recent Form
Wolves
After drawing 1-1 at Burnley earlier this week, Wolves are tenth in the league with 42 points, three behind West Ham in seventh and with a game in hand on them too, so this game represents a big opportunity for them to gain an advantage on their rivals. Wolves have been decent at home this season, winning 50% of their matches, and each of their last two at Molineux against Fulham and Sheffield United.
However, they will be looking to improve on their total of just 1.19 expected goal (xG) tally per home game, which ranks joint-16th in the division. Wolves have overperformed their xG, scoring 1.57 goals on average at home, and will hope that continues as Matheus Cunha is in line to start after his return from injury. The Brazilian forward appeared from the bench against Burnley after missing five games with a hamstring injury, and his return is timely, particularly with Pedro Neto and Hwang-Hee Chan still out.
In games at Molineux this season, there have been an average of 3.07 goals, and both teams have scored in 71% of matches. A stat in Wolves’ favour is that on the last five occasions these teams have met in the league, the home side has won every time. Manager Gary O’Neil will be hoping that continues after losing 3-0 in their previous meeting at the London Stadium.
Burnley hold on to earn a hard-fought point at home against Wolves 🤝#BURWOL pic.twitter.com/675DMOgOaS
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 2, 2024
West Ham United
The Irons have stuttered a bit lately, going without a win in four league games and with just two wins in twelve. The inconsistency of the teams around them has kept them in seventh, but West Ham have played a game more than most of their rivals. They picked up a decent enough point in a 1-1 home draw with Tottenham on Tuesday, having thrown away a two-goal lead in their last away game, a dramatic 4-3 loss to Newcastle United.
That game followed the trend of West Ham’s away games this season: goals. There have been an average of 3.73 total goals per game on the Hammers’ travels, with only Newcastle having a higher total than that. West Ham have the seventh-best away record in the league, with an average of 1.33 points per game. In 80% of their away games, there have been over 2.5 goals. They have also kept a clean sheet in just 7% of away games, and first-choice keeper Alphonse Areola is likely to miss this game with a groin injury.
West Ham also have a huge Europa League quarter-final clash against Bayer Leverkusen coming up on Thursday, so it will be interesting to see if David Moyes tinkers with selection at all for this one. Winning that competition would achieve Champions League qualification, which is probably unattainable in the league now, so it’s possible they could prioritise that game against the Bundesliga leaders.
⚒️ @WestHam come from behind to earn a point against @SpursOfficial at London Stadium 🤝#WHUTOT pic.twitter.com/5BzfmrZXbS
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 2, 2024
Prediction
This is an evenly matched contest between two top-half teams that have struggled for consistency in recent weeks, and are looking for a win to help rebuild some momentum.
It feels especially big for Wolves, who want to still have something to play for after crashing out of the FA Cup to Coventry City. Both sides are excellent counter-attacking outfits so it will be an intriguing battle to see who takes the initiative. West Ham have been leaky on the road though, so OddsNow are backing Wolves to make it three home wins in a row and boost their chances of returning to Europe next season.