Thursday’s 2-0 UEFA Europa League victory over Freiburg was the perfect way for West Ham United to respond to last weekend’s 5-0 Premier League (PL) thrashing at the hands of Fulham. The team’s performance in the previous match was hampered after several players fell ill beforehand. Despite the heaviest loss of the season, West Ham’s four-match unbeaten run in the league (W3, D1) remained intact, and they maintained their position in the top half of the table.
With European football to look forward to in the spring, attention now turns back to their challenging festive league programme. The next match on the horizon is against Wolverhampton Wanderers, followed by three games against sides currently above the Hammers in the table.
West Ham United has only suffered one defeat in their last five home league matches (W2, D2), which should provide some confidence for the Londoners. Additionally, they have won the last three head-to-head meetings at home ‘to nil’. Interestingly, the last seven meetings in London have seen one team fail to score each time, with Wolves winning two and losing five. This suggests that the first goal could be crucial, and it poses a concern for the visitors as they have only managed to score the opener in one of their last eight PL fixtures (W3, D2, L3).
Most recently, Wolverhampton Wanderers came from behind to draw 1-1 with Nottingham Forest last Saturday. The result left manager Gary O’Neil feeling “frustrated” and “disappointed”. However, there is some positive news for the West Midlanders. They are currently occupying a healthy lower mid-table position, and Hwang Hee-chan signed a new contract this week. Furthermore, O’Neil is confident that winger Pedro Neto will return to action before Christmas.
Results on the road have been hard to come by for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite scoring in each of their last seven PL away encounters, they have only managed to win two of them (D1, L4), losing the last three.
Players to watch in this upcoming match include Mohammed Kudus, who has opened the scoring in the 13th and 14th minutes respectively in two of West Ham’s last four games. On the other hand, Matheus Cunha has completed the scoring in two of Wolves’ last three fixtures.
It’s worth noting that Wolves have not won any of their last ten PL matches played on a Sunday (D3, L7).
As West Ham United prepares to face Wolverhampton Wanderers, they aim to build on their recent Europa League victory and continue their strong home form. With the festive league programme ahead, both teams will be eager to secure important points and maintain their positions in the Premier League.