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Can Wolves turn pressure into points as West Ham arrive still searching for a win? Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
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Mallorca have a superior head-to-head record, remaining unbeaten in seven consecutive matches against Rayo Vallecano. Rayo have a high draw rate at home (75% of games) and struggle with finishing, having scored only 14 goals in 18 league fixtures. Mallorca's tactical setup is designed to exploit Rayo's aerial weakness through Vedat Muriqi, who has 10 goals this season. Given Rayo's difficulty in securing wins and Mallorca's ability to battle for results, the visitors are well-placed to take at least a point from this encounter.
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Both teams are coming off defeats and will prioritize defensive stability to steady the ship. Rayo’s home matches are frequently low-scoring and draw-heavy, while Mallorca have picked up back-to-back away draws recently. With both sides sharing a mutual weakness in defending long shots and Rayo possessing the possession to cancel out Mallorca's aerial threat, a stalemate is the most probable result. A 1-1 scoreline aligns with Rayo's season average of 0.78 goals per game and Mallorca's ability to find the net despite limited possession.
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Wolverhampton vs West Ham Predictions and Best Bets
Wolverhampton vs West Ham — Market Snapshot
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Implied win chances based on the current 1X2 pricing for this bottom-of-the-table clash.
Implied probabilities for the scoring pattern based on current betting market figures.
- Wolves’ season hole is deep: 19 league matches, 0 wins, 3 draws and 16 defeats leaves them on 3 points, with 11 scored and 40 conceded for a -29 goal difference.
- Neither side has kept clean sheets often: Wolves and West Ham each have 1 clean sheet listed, and both are on long runs conceding 1+ goals — 23 straight league games for Wolves, 16 for West Ham.
- West Ham have generated more repeat pressure: West Ham’s 99 corners compared to Wolves’ 69 hints at more sustained attacking phases, alongside similar shot volume (9.8 per match West Ham; 9.68 Wolves).
Defensive Profile: Goals Conceded
Both defenses have struggled significantly, combining for nearly 80 goals conceded in 19 league fixtures.
Averaging over 2 goals conceded per game, rooted to the bottom of the table.
West Ham have conceded nearly as many as Wolves despite sitting slightly higher.
Defensive Trends: Matches Without Clean Sheet
Long-term streaks without keeping a clean sheet highlight structural vulnerabilities in both backlines.
The hosts haven’t managed a shutout in over 20 consecutive league outings.
The visitors have also struggled to find defensive shape, conceding in 16 straight.
Molineux is the backdrop for a proper pressure game on Saturday night, with Wolverhampton Wanderers rooted to the foot of the Premier League and West Ham United hovering just above them. It’s 20th v 18th, separated by the sort of gap that feels bigger than it looks on paper when you’re living it week to week.
Wolves come into this one off a draw at Manchester United, a rare moment of resistance in a campaign that’s been defined by narrow margins going the wrong way. West Ham arrive still searching for a win that’s been missing for almost two months, their latest outing ending 2-2 against Brighton. Neither side will need reminding of what’s at stake; both have leaked goals regularly, and both have looked vulnerable when games open up.
The story, then, is less about grand statements and more about survival football: who can keep their head, who can keep their shape, and who can take the chances that arrive when two anxious teams trade mistakes.
Team News and Likely Set-Ups
Wolves’ possible XI points towards a back three in front of José Sá, with Yerson Mosquera, Matt Doherty and Ladislav Krejcí as the central unit. The wing-back slots look set to be handled by Jackson Tchatchoua on one side and Hugo Bueno on the other, with the middle loaded by Jhon Arias, João Gomes and Mateus Mané. Up top, it reads like a two-man pairing: Tolu Arokodare alongside Jørgen Strand Larsen.
That selection hints at Wolves wanting width and directness without giving up the security of three centre-backs — sensible when the team profile screams “aggressive” and “play with width”, but also carries some ugly warnings about defending counter attacks and avoiding individual errors. In other words: it’s a set-up designed to get bodies around the ball, then move it quickly into the channels.
There are also named absences on the Wolves list: Fer López González (unknown injury), Enso Agbadou (called up to national team until 19/01/2026), E. Gonzalez Medina (unknown injury) and Rodrigo Gomes (groin injury until 21/02/2026). That matters, because Wolves are already a side that “rotate their first eleven”, and rotation looks a lot less like choice when bodies are missing.
West Ham’s possible XI suggests a 4-2-3-1: Alphonse Areola in goal; Kyle Walker-Peters, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Maximilian Kilman and Ollie Scarles across the back; Soungoutou Magassa and Freddie Potts as the double pivot; then Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Paquetá behind Callum Wilson.
On paper, that’s a front four capable of producing end-product. Bowen has six league goals, Paquetá has four, Wilson has four, and Fernandes has chipped in with two. The balance is clear: security in the middle, runners and creators around Wilson, and a team that’s comfortable attacking down the right and playing with width.
How the Match Could Be Played
This has the feel of a game where the first ten minutes will tell you the mood. Wolves’ style points towards long balls, frequent crossing, and attacking down the left — all of which makes sense with wing-backs and two forwards. Expect Sá and the back three to look early for direct passes into the front pair, with Arias and João Gomes trying to mop up second balls and keep Wolves camped in West Ham’s half.
The key question is what happens when Wolves lose it. Their weaknesses list reads like a checklist of transition pain: defending counter attacks, defending against through balls, defending against attacks down the wings, and avoiding individual errors. That’s basically an invitation for West Ham to sit in, soak pressure, and break quickly into the spaces wing-backs leave behind.
And West Ham are built for that. “Counter attacks: strong” is the headline strength, and “playing in their own half” is right there in the style description. With Magassa and Potts screening, West Ham can encourage Wolves to push on, then spring Bowen or Paquetá into the channels. Wolves have been flagged as very weak at defending against through balls, and that is exactly the kind of pass Paquetá will want to thread when Wilson drifts off a centre-back and a runner darts beyond.
There’s another sub-plot here: both teams are labelled weak at keeping possession of the ball. So while you can sketch ideal patterns — Wolves pinning West Ham back, West Ham breaking and hurting them — the reality could be scrappier, with phases of the match turning into broken-field football. That’s where discipline and decision-making become decisive, and Wolves’ “avoiding fouling in dangerous areas” being rated very weak is the sort of detail that can flip a tight game.
Out wide, it’s hard to ignore that both teams are tagged very weak at defending against attacks down the wings. Wolves want width and crosses; West Ham want width and long balls. That could produce a match where the flanks are busy, the box gets peppered, and the midfield turns into a contest of who can stop the second phase.
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The Numbers That Support the Story
Wolves’ league record sets the tone: 19 matches played, 11 goals scored and 40 conceded. That goal difference of -29 tells you why every attack feels loaded with consequence. It also fits with the character assessment that Wolves are very weak at finishing chances — they’re producing 8.8 shots per game in the league, but the output simply hasn’t followed often enough.
West Ham’s numbers show a different sort of problem. They’ve scored 21 in 19, which is nearly double Wolves’ tally, but they’ve conceded 38 — almost as many as Wolves. That aligns neatly with their weaknesses around protecting the lead and defending set pieces (rated very weak), and with the broader trend that West Ham have conceded at least once in 16 straight Premier League matches.
Wolves’ defensive trend is even harsher: they’ve conceded 1+ in 23 straight league games. That’s not just a bad run; it shapes how you play. If you expect to concede, you’re pushed into chasing moments — and Wolves’ own issues with individual errors and defending counter attacks make that chase feel like walking a tightrope.
The shot profiles hint at how the game might look. Wolves are averaging 9.68 total shots per match across their listed games, with 67% coming from inside the box, and a noticeable portion of attempts off target. West Ham are on 9.8 total shots per match, and 72% inside the box — suggesting they want to end moves close to goal, which is exactly what counter-attacking sides aim for: fewer passes, cleaner locations, quicker decisions.
Then there’s the set-piece and territory noise. West Ham have 99 corners listed compared to Wolves’ 69, a gap that can be a proxy for sustained pressure and repeat attacks. Combine that with Wolves’ habit of committing fouls (314 total) and collecting cards (47 yellows, 2 reds), and you can see how games can tilt via dead-ball moments and stoppages, not just open play.
Key “Moments” to Watch
The first “moment” is Wolves’ opening choice: do they go direct early and try to turn this into a duel in West Ham’s box, or do they try to build and risk the sort of giveaway that feeds West Ham’s counter-attacking strength? With Wolves rated weak at keeping possession, the safer route may still be the most chaotic — long balls, second balls, and crosses — but that chaos has to come with discipline, because a single loose pass can release Bowen or Paquetá into space.
The second is the Wilson battle. If West Ham can get him receiving between centre-back and wing-back, Wolves’ listed vulnerability to through balls and counters comes into play immediately. If Wolves can keep him facing away from goal and force West Ham wide early, it becomes more about crossing volume and aerial contests — where West Ham are labelled weak in aerial duels, but Wolves also rely on getting deliveries right.
The third is whether Wolves’ finishing finally matches their intent. Their team profile calls finishing “very weak”, and in a relegation fight that can translate to one big chance meaning everything. If Arokodare and Strand Larsen can turn a scrappy half-chance into a goal, the whole stadium changes temperature. If not, anxiety is a powerful opponent.
What could go wrong with this read? Pretty much everything that makes football fun and infuriating in equal measure. Both sides are described as weak in possession, so the match could ignore neat tactical plans and become a sequence of mistakes, deflections, and set-piece chaos. A single individual error — something Wolves are explicitly flagged as struggling to avoid — can flip the script, and once the scoreline moves, the game-state can drag both teams into choices they didn’t intend to make.
Best Bet for Wolves vs West Ham
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Both Teams to Score (Yes)
A clash between the two most porous defenses in the division suggests that clean sheets will be a rare commodity at Molineux. The defensive records are particularly concerning for both sides; the hosts have failed to keep a clean sheet in 23 consecutive league matches, while the visitors have conceded at least once in 16 straight top-flight outings. With both teams averaging roughly two goals conceded per game, the backlines are consistently vulnerable to individual errors and lapses in concentration.
The tactical setup further supports a high-scoring environment. The home side utilizes a system reliant on wing-backs and frequent crossing, which naturally leaves space in the wide areas for opponents to exploit. This is a significant risk against a visiting side that excels at counter-attacks and possesses creative threats such as Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paquetá. Given that the hosts are notably weak at defending through balls and transitions, the visitors should find ample opportunities to find the back of the net.
Conversely, the London club struggles significantly with defending set pieces and protecting leads. Despite the home team’s issues with finishing, they have shown a renewed spirit after a recent draw at Old Trafford and will be desperate to secure their first victory of the campaign. With 67% of the home side’s shots coming from inside the box and the visitors missing key defensive personnel like the suspended Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the pressure on the traveling defense will be immense. The statistical reality of two teams that combine for nearly 80 goals conceded this season points toward a match where both goalkeepers will be busy.
What could go wrong
The primary risk to this selection is the low clinical edge shown by the home side, who have only scored 11 goals in 19 matches despite creating a reasonable volume of shots. If their “very weak” finishing persists, or if the game descends into a cagey, error-strewn battle in the midfield rather than an open contest, one side could easily fail to convert their chances. Additionally, both teams are weak at keeping possession, which could result in a scrappy game with few clear-cut opportunities.
Correct score lean
1-2
The visitors possess the superior individual quality in the final third, with Jarrod Bowen, Callum Wilson, and Lucas Paquetá providing a clinical edge that the hosts have lacked all season. While the home side has a strong recent record against this opponent at Molineux, their inability to keep clean sheets—conceding 40 goals in 19 games—makes it difficult to envision them holding out for 90 minutes. A narrow victory for the Hammers reflects their ability to hurt teams on the counter-attack, especially against a defense that struggles with through balls and individual errors.
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