West Ham vs Wolves prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-12-16 14:00.
[p]Thursdayâs 2-0 UEFA Europa League victory over Freiburg was the perfect way for West Ham United to respond to last weekendâs 5-0 Premier League (PL) thrashing at the hands of Fulham, where their performance was hampered after several players fell ill beforehand. Their heaviest loss of the season ended a four-match unbeaten run in the league (W3, D1), but not at the expense of their position in the top half.[/p]
[p]With European football to look forward to in the spring, attention now turns back to their challenging festive league programme, with the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers on the horizon, followed by three games against sides currently above the Hammers in the table. One defeat in five home league matches (W2, D2) should provide some confidence for the Londoners, as should winning the last three H2Hs here âto nilâ.[/p]
[p]The last seven meetings in London have seen one team fail to score each time (Wolves: W2, L5), suggesting the first goal could be crucial, and thatâs a worry for the visitors as they have only netted the opener in one of their last eight PL fixtures (W3, D2, L3). Most recently, they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Nottingham Forest last Saturday, a result that left manager Gary OâNeil âfrustratedâ and âdisappointedâ.[/p]
[p]In more positive news, the West Midlanders are occupying a healthy lower mid-table position, Hwang Hee-chan signed a new contract this week and OâNeil is confident that winger Pedro Neto will return to action before Christmas. Results on the road have been hard to come by though as despite scoring in each of their last seven PL away encounters, Wolves won only two of them (D1, L4), losing the last three.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Mohammed Kudus opened the scoring in the 13th and 14th minutes respectively in two of West Hamâs last four games, while Matheus Cunha completed the scoring in two of Wolvesâ last three fixtures.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Wolves have won none of their last ten PL matches played on a Sunday (D3, L7).[/p]