Wolves vs West Ham Prediction 3 January 2026
🔊 Can Nuno Espirito Santo handle his former team? On January 3rd, West Ham will visit Wolverhampton. For the Portuguese manager, the trip to Molineux is special, as he once led the Wolves to the Europa League quarter-finals. However, more than five years have passed since then, and Nuno has moved through several roles before taking charge of the Hammers. Both teams are currently in the relegation zone, but while the visitors still have a chance at survival, the hosts seem destined to start next season in the Championship. Nonetheless, the home side is considered the favorite for the upcoming clash.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over their last ten Premier League encounters, Wolverhampton clearly hold the advantage with seven victories compared to just three for their opponents. It's worth noting that these teams have already faced off this season. This took place during an August League Cup match where Wolverhampton dominated the field and secured a comeback win, thanks to a brace from Jørgen Strand Larsen, ending 3-2.
Head-to-head statistics Wolves - West Ham
Wolverhampton Wanderers Team Overview
Wolverhampton are chasing nothing but historical anti-records this season. They are the first top-flight English team to go winless after 18 rounds and the first to have accumulated just two points over that span. The main question remains: will Derby County's seemingly eternal anti-record stand?
In the last round, the Wolves showed they aren't ready to hit another low. They added to their points tally for the first time since early October, drawing with Manchester United (1-1) at Old Trafford. Rob Edwards' side even outperformed the hosts in expected goals (1.44-1.03) and looked equally competitive overall, making the draw anything but a fluke. Whether this hints at a potential turnaround from their crisis remains a big question.
Match Results: Wolverhampton Wanderers
West Ham United Team Overview
In December, the Hammers faced a challenging schedule, resulting in three losses. However, Nuno Espírito Santo's team did find some solace against Brighton, drawing twice with the Seagulls (1-1; 2-2). It's fair to say that in both encounters, Brighton appeared closer to victory, at least according to the statistics.
In their last match, West Ham twice took the lead through their attacking stalwarts, Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen, but allowed their opponents to equalize. Even on home turf, the Londoners were outperformed by the Seagulls in terms of threat creation. The xG difference was significant: 1.8-3.12. The last time the Hammers conceded less than one expected goal was two months ago in a home game against Newcastle (3-1).
Match Results: West Ham United
Latest news
Wolverhampton Wanderers
🎙 Ladislav Krejci, who scored against Manchester United: "Of course, we wanted more and could have achieved more, but we also could have dropped points at the end. I'm glad we finally got the result we deserved. If you want to build confidence, you need to achieve something. How can you gain confidence when you're constantly losing? I believe, we all believe, that things will change in the future."
❓ According to some sources, Wolverhampton's management are considering the possibility of dismissing Rob Edwards and are already looking for his replacement. The leading candidate is said to be Brian Barry-Murphy, who currently manages Cardiff, the leaders in League One.
❌ Toti Gomes, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Marshall Munetsi, Daniel Bentley, Rodrigo Gomes, and Hugo Bueno remain sidelined for the Wolves, while Emmanuel Agbadou and Tawanda Chivera have headed to the Africa Cup of Nations. The hosts are facing significant squad issues.
West Ham United
🎙 "Both teams fought hard, and it was a very intense game with many different events. Neither side held back. For us, the first half was better, and the second half started well too, but then we conceded, making the ending challenging," said Nuno Espirito Santo after the match against Brighton.
📝 West Ham have kicked off the transfer window with significant activity, signing two forwards straight away. They have already agreed on the transfers of Pablo Felipe from Gil Vicente for €23 million and Taty Castellanos from Lazio for €29 million. The club is also reportedly interested in Raheem Sterling. However, the Hammers can only offer a loan deal, while Sterling himself prefers a permanent move to Fulham.
❌ Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malik Diouf are currently with their national teams for the Africa Cup of Nations. West Ham's only injury-related absence is Jean-Clair Todibo, who sustained an injury in the previous round's match.
🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards
The match will be officiated by Peter Bankes. The Englishman ranks among the top four referees in the Premier League for issuing yellow cards this season, averaging 4.4 per game. As for the teams, Wolverhampton receive more than 1.5 yellow cards in 11 of their last 12 matches, while West Ham have seen this in 6 of their last 7 away games in the Premier League. Thus, a bet on over 3.5 yellow cards seems quite justified, having won in eight consecutive home games for the Wolves.
⚽️ Goal Prediction
Many are hopeful for a long-awaited victory for the Wolves, but we are not convinced. Wolverhampton score less than 1.5 goals not only in their last 10 matches but also in eight consecutive head-to-head encounters against West Ham in the Premier League. It's unlikely that the team, in its current form, will find the strength to score twice. We doubt that the match against Manchester United was the start of a miraculous turnaround.
🚩 Corner Prediction
West Ham average fewer than five corners on the road, and Wolverhampton are generally the worst team in the Premier League in this category (a mere 2.67 corners per game at home). Therefore, we won't overthink it and will place a bet on under 11.5 corners, which has come through in 11 consecutive head-to-head matches between these opponents. The odds may be low, but the risk is minimal.
Editor's Prediction
It seems the bookmakers have cast the "Wolves" as favorites due to their success in the last round-a questionable decision given the team's overall condition. West Ham have a genuine chance to escape relegation, and we believe the "Hammers" won't return home empty-handed. Our predicted outcome for the match is a 1-1 draw.
As for the optimal bet, according to Scores24's editorial team, it's over 3.5 yellow cards. Both statistics and the teams' standings support this bet, as they are expected to battle fiercely across the pitch. Notably, in the last four Premier League head-to-heads between the "Wolves" and the "Hammers," there have been no fewer than four warnings shown.
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Betting Tips: Wolverhampton Wanderers - West Ham United
in 8 of last 9 games (Premier League).in last 5 home games (Premier League).
in last 6 home games (Premier League).
in 12 of last 13 games.in 11 of last 12 games (Premier League).in 8 of last 9 home games (Premier League).in last 6 home games.in last 8 games (Premier League).in last 7 away games (Premier League).
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