West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League preview

An important clash above the drop zone on Sunday should this game go ahead, weather permitting. Both teams lost their last game and a victory here would get them off to a good start in 2010.

West Ham United

An exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Arsenal can be put behind them as they fully concentrate on survival in the Premier League. Talk of a takeover is still on the table and the Hammers haven’t had to sell anyone as of yet. Victory is attainable here. When West Ham comfortably beat Wolves 2-0 on the opening day of the season, it looked likely their opposition on that day weren’t going to survive. However Wolves didn’t give in and have shown signs of survival. They come into this game above West Ham in the table. Carlton Cole remains absent, and in Alessandro Diamanti they have a striker who is only capable of scoring from set pieces seemingly. Frank Nouble put in a good shift in their FA Cup game, but will he turn out to be a goalscoring striker? Junior Stanislas’ pace causes defences problem and he should have success against this Wolves defence. Mark Noble is injured, but Scott Park and Jack Collison remain in midfield and are capable of excelling in this game in particular. If West Ham don’t beat Wolves from set pieces, expect those two to be involved in goals from open play.

Form
LLDWL

Injuries/Suspensions
Herita ilunga
Mark Noble
Danny Gabbidon
Kieron Dyer
Zavon Hines
Carlton Cole
Calum Davenport
Luis Boa Morte

Wolves

Their 1-0 victory over Tranmere in the FA Cup wasn’t as convincing as expected, but a win was a win and it paid well with odds just under evens before kickoff. Back to the league where they have lost 3 of their last 4. A couple of victories before this recent run moved them outside the relegation zone where they currently remain. By 1 point. Their success has come from team effort and goals from set pieces this season. They may be able to exploit West Ham from set pieces in this one, although things were the other way around when these two met on the opening day of the season. Nenad Milijas and Kevin Doyle are their best threats going forward. The Serbian is unpredictable and can be frustrating. While Doyle has been inconsistent and Wolves need more goals from him. The battle in midfield is going to be the key for Wolves here. They need to prevent Parker and Collison controlling the game. Either of those two can create great opportunities for their teammates and I think that will be where this game is lost for Wolves.

Form
WLWLL

Injuries/Suspensions
David Edwards
Andy Keogh
Michael Kightly
Matt Murray

As long as this game goes ahead and the pitch is in decent condition, I fancy West Ham to take all 3 points here as they did against Wolves on the opening day of the season.

Best bet: West Ham to win 10/11