West Ham desperately look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to Molineux to face fellow strugglers Wolves on Saturday.
The Hammers ended their run of five defeats in the Premier League with a 2-2 draw at Leeds United last week, although they still remain 17th in the table—level on points with 18th-placed Everton. Their winless streak in the top flight now stands at six matches, which should be a big concern for David Moyes.
A 2-0 win over Brentford in the FA Cup third round should have pleased Moyes and he will hope his side can emulate something similar at Wolves, who are 19th in the table and have won just once in their last five league fixtures.
Vladimir Coufal missed the FA Cup win over Brentford after he sustained a blow to his knee in the 2-2 draw with Leeds United last week, so the full-back’s participation in the upcoming league game remains up in the air.
Gianluca Scamacca (knee), Maxwel Cornet (calf), Manuel Lanzini (groin) and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (hip) all also missed the FA Cup win over the Bees, but there is a chance of Lanzini, Scamacca and Areola being available for the trip to Wolves.
Goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski is West Ham’s undisputed No.1 and should start against Wolves. He will be hoping to shut the shop as quickly as possible at Molineux.
Defence
David Moyes could revert to a 4-2-3-1 after using a 3-5-2 formation in the 2-0 FA Cup win over Brentford. In central defence, Craig Dawson could partner Nayef Aguerd, who completed 90 minutes against Brentford in the FA Cup last weekend. This means Angelo Ogbonna should drop down to the bench.
Aaron Cresswell was an unused substitute in the recent FA Cup game but should come back into the starting XI. He is expected to replace Emerson at left-back, with Thilo Kehrer operating from the right-back position.
Midfield
Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta are expected to form West Ham’s midfield at the weekend. Rice and Soucek should play the anchor roles to allow Paqueta to play his natural game and do damage in the final third.
West Ham’s midfield trio have to be smart and robust to dominate possession against Julen Lopetegui’s Wolves.
Attack
Michail Antonio should continue leading the Hammers’ attack with Gianluca Scamacca expected to only make the bench on Saturday. Said Benrahma has been West Ham’s most dangerous player in recent weeks and deserves to start again. The Algerian will operate from the left, while Jarrod Bowen hopes to catch the eye on the right wing.
If West Ham are in need of more impetus in attack against Wolves, Moyes may choose to bring the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini from the bench.
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