West Ham vs Wolves tips
BTTS and a draw - 15/4 BetVictor
West Ham and Wolves meet on Monday night in a game dubbed “must-win” for both managers in their quest to still be employed by Christmas (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Both are under immense pressure but according to reports the West Ham board are close to bringing an end to Julen Lopetegui’s short reign at the London Stadium.
He only replaced David Moyes in the summer, signing a two-year contract, but Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat at Leicester left them 14th in the Premier League table, just six points above the relegation zone.
Despite spending £120m in the summer the Spanish manager has overseen just four wins from his 14 league games and just one in five games since the victory over Manchester United in October, which spelt the end for United boss Erik ten Hag.
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has been under pressure for most of the season, the fact it took 12 games for them to secure their first win meant they have been in the bottom three since August.
That first win came against Southampton, and they followed it up with a 4-1 win at Fulham and they looked like they had turned a corner.
But they have lost 4-2 to Bournemouth and 4-0 to Everton in their last two matches and have now conceded more goals than any other Premier League side this season, with 36 goals in their 14 games.
According to betting sites Lopetegui is the favourite to be the next manager sacked at 10/11 with O’Neil just behind him at 5/4.
Nerves to get the better in this one
With so much riding on the game and the current form of both sides, it’s unlikely to be a classic but we do expect goals based on the numbers conceded so far.
We have already mentioned that Wolves have conceded an average of 2.5 goals per game and West Ham’s defensive record isn’t much better, conceding 27 from their 14 games, or 1.9 goals per game.
Wolves have also only failed to score in two games so far this season, Wednesday’s defeat by Everton and in a 2-0 loss against Arsenal back in August.
They have scored 22 goals so far which is double what Southampton, the only team below them in the table, have scored and nine more than Ipswich who sit one place above them.
The Hammers have also scored more than the teams around them with 18 but they have failed to score in three of their last five.
Football betting sites are backing West Ham for the win at 19/20, with Wolves 3/1 and a draw 29/10.
With so much pressure it could be a score draw as two sides lacking in confidence (and in some cases quality) go head-to-head.
West Ham vs Wolves prediction: BTTS and a draw - 15/4 BetVictor
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