Wolves vs West Ham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-01-13 15:00.
Hosting this battle of relegation candidates, Wolves have showcased their fighting spirit of late, reflected by two recent trips to Merseyside. Just 12 days after a 2-1 Premier League (PL) win over fellow strugglers Everton, Wolves were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at Anfield after a controversial offside call denied them a famous FA Cup win, with both matches seeing Julen Lopeteguiâs men come from behind to avoid defeat.
Yet, the fact remains that Wolvesâ only league victories to date have come against teams starting the round inside the bottom-six, which can only further add to this gameâs billing as a relegation âsix-pointerâ. They return to Molineux after a chain of four straight PL home defeats, three of which saw them fail to score, and with a league-low five home goals this season, Lopetegui may consider giving loan signing Matheus Cunha his first start up front.
Just a point ahead of their hosts, West Ham must avoid defeat to prevent themselves being leapfrogged by Wolves, thus dropping into the relegation zone. Yet, they come into this after a hard-fought 1-0 FA Cup win at Brentford, and will have fond memories of a 2-0 victory over Wolves earlier in the campaign. That said, the London sideâs perilous league position has made David Moyes a popular âsack raceâ candidate, and this could perhaps play on the minds of his charges.
That win over Wolves in October has opened the possibility of securing a second H2H league double for the Hammers in three seasons. However, itâs just one win in ten PL away games for the Hammers (D2, L7), and while four of those losses came âto-nilâ, the other three defeats in that miserable run all came after Moyesâ men had drawn first blood.
Players to watch: Hwang Hee-chanâs strike gave Wolves the morale-boosting draw at Anfield, notching his first club strike since February 2022. But if he canât make a late impact again, West Hamâs SaĂŻd Benrahma â the FA Cup matchwinner at Brentford â will want to step in, with a 60% win-rate across prior PL games to see him net a second-half goal (W3, D1, L1).
Hot stat: Wolves are the only PL side yet to score a home league goal after the hour mark this term.