West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers Preview – ‘El Sackico’ Vital In Clubs’ Season
In what could potentially be the final nail in the coffin for the losing manager, West Ham are set to welcome Wolves to the London Stadium, the game being dubbed the ‘El Sackico’ by fans on social media.
The Hammers are currently sat in 14th with 15 points after their dreary performances against Leicester and Arsenal, retrospectively losing 3-1 and 5-2. Their opponents are sat second from bottom in 19th with 9 points and were on the end of a heavy defeat themselves, losing out 4-0 to Everton last time out.
Both teams will be looking to make amends to their recent form and try to hit the ground running in the festive period.
Previous Meetings
In recent times, West Ham have managed to get the better of Wolves, in their last six Premier League meetings, the outcomes have been as follows;
Nov 2021 - Wolves 1-0 West Ham
Feb 2021 - West Ham 1-0 Wolves
Oct 2022 - West Ham 2-0 Wolves
Jan 2023 - Wolves 1-0 West Ham
Dec 2023 - West Ham 3-0 Wolves
Apr 2024 - Wolves 1-2 West Ham
Team News
The hosts will be without Michail Antonio, who on Saturday 7th December, was involved in a serious car accident, but West Ham have thankfully confirmed since that the striker is fully conscious and under supervision at a central London hospital.
Other absentees might include centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo and other striker Danny Ings as both players will face late fitness tests for the game.
This could mean Niclas Fullkrug could be in line for his first Premier League start, after he netted his first goal as a consolation in the 3-1 defeat to Leicester last time out.
Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen will both be players to watch for West Ham as their dangermen both scored in this fixture last season.
For the visitors, their most recent absentee will be Nelson Semedo who is suspended as a result of accumulating 5 yellow cards this season and Spanish forward Pablo Sarabia will face the same fate as Ings and Todibo and face a late fitness test to see if he can make the squad.
Matheus Cunha is Wolves’ clear threat in their attack as the striker has so far scored seven and assisted three goals in the Premier League and he has shown in recent games that he is single-handedly able to carry the team on his back.
Possible Lineups
West Ham (4-2-3-1)
Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson, Alvarez, Soler, Paqeuta, Bowen, Kudus, Fullkrug
Wolves (3-4-2-1)
Sa, Buneo, Dawson, Gomes. Doherty, Ait-Nouri, Gomes, Lemina, Hwang, Strand-Larsen, Cunha