West Ham vs Wolves Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
By Michael Lee
West Ham host Wolves this Sunday evening with both teams looking set to have contrasting seasons.
The Hammers have started the season in disarray with two straight defeats in the league, no new signings forthcoming, and their manager David Moyes having contracted COVID-19. However, West Ham performed well at Arsenal last weekend and were unlucky not to come away with a result. They will need to take the positives from that performance into their tough sequence of upcoming fixtures.
Wolves have started the season with one win and one defeat as they look to regain their European qualification spot. They will also be buoyed by the arrival of Nelsen Semedo from Barcelona, just the latest in a string of Portuguese signings by the club. Wolves should feel confident heading into Sunday's game.
Where to Watch on TV
When Is Kick Off? Sunday 27 September
What Time Is Kick Off? 19:00 (BST)
Where Is it Being Played? London Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport (UK), Peacock (US)
Referee? Martin Atkinson
Team News
Alongside Moyes, who will be managing Sunday's game from home, West Ham will be without Issa Diop and Josh Cullen who both tested positive for COVID-19. In happier news, captain Mark Noble has returned after a toe injury and Moyes will surely be tempted to include some of attacking talent that has shone in the Carabao Cup.
"I know him very well. I saw him play in Benfica, Barcelona and the national team. He’s a great player and a great person, too. This is important."
— Joe Edwards (@JoeEdwards_Star) September 25, 2020
Joao Moutinho shares his excitement over Wolves' new signing, Nelson Semedo. #wwfc https://t.co/ncEUDhiRKR
Wolves fans will be hoping to see Nelson Semedo make his debut on Sunday. Defender Ki-Jana Hoever should also be included in the squad following his switch from Liverpool, but Marcel will miss out with a calf injury.
Predicted Line Ups
West Ham: Fabianski; Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Fredericks, Rice, Soucek, Masuaku; Bowen, Antonio, Fornals.
Wolves: Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Vinagre; Traore, Jimenez, Podence.
Recent Form
West Ham have lived down to their fans expectations so far this season, starting their Premier League campaign with two defeats. While the performance against Newcastle was dire, the Hammers did look better last time out against Arsenal. Also, overshadowed by those three positive COVID tests it may have been, but scoring five against Hull in the Carabao Cup would have boosted morale among the squad.
Wolves looked in danger of being overwhelmed by Manchester City on Monday, but they fought back well and were unlucky to eventually lose the game. This performance, alongside an opening day win at Sheffield United, demonstrated that Wolves will once again be competitive in the league this season.
Here are each team's last five competitive results:
West Ham
West Ham 5-1 Hull (22/9)
Arsenal 2-1 West Ham (19/9)
West Ham 3-0 Charlton (15/9)
West Ham 0-2 Newcastle (12/9)
West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa (26/7)
Wolves
Wolves 1-3 Man City (21/9)
Wolves 0-1 Stoke (17/9)
Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves (14/9)
Wolves 0-1 Sevilla (11/8)
Wolves 1-0 Olympiacos (6/8)
Prediction
Since their promotion in 2018, Wolves have beaten West Ham in each of their four meetings without conceding a goal.
Despite losing to Manchester City on Monday, Wolves look well placed to challenge the top six again and will have no fear about visiting the London Stadium this Sunday.
Meanwhile, it looks difficult to see where the next points are coming from for West Ham. The chronic instability surrounding the club cannot help on-field matters and, for all the encouragement their performance at Arsenal offered, it is hard to see the Hammers troubling an impressive Wolves outfit.
Predicted Score: West Ham 0-2 Wolves