It’s not often that a Premier League relegation six-pointer carries such significant implications for both clubs involved.
As West Ham prepare to welcome Wolves on Friday night, they are acutely aware that a victory would lift them out of the relegation zone, pushing Tottenham down into their place.
West Ham’s home league performance in 2025/26
The Lilywhites will be up against a challenging away contest at Sunderland this weekend, and should they fail to secure all three points, West Ham will know that if they can equal or better Spurs’ results until the season’s end, they’ll avoid relegation.
However, claiming victory will not be straightforward for the Hammers, who have only managed three wins, four draws, and eight losses at home this season in the Premier League over 15 matches.
Interestingly, Wolves were the first team to overcome West Ham this season, which might give Rob Edwards’ side a boost as they look to break a five-match winless streak at the London Stadium.
Wolves have also struggled away from Molineux, currently enduring a 17-match winless run in the Premier League, while the Hammers have remained unbeaten at home since their loss to Nottingham Forest at the beginning of January, apart from their penalty shootout defeat to Leeds United last weekend.
Wolves aiming for a league double for the first time since the 2019/20 season
Should the visitors pull off a surprise win, it would mark the first time they’ve completed a league double over West Ham since the 2019/20 season.
Despite the turnaround orchestrated by Edwards arriving too late for the club, Wolves have shown resilience, suffering only four defeats in their last 13 Premier League outings after an alarming stretch of 11 successive losses from October to December.
Wolves’ improvement has been notable; the 15 goals they have conceded during this period is surpassed only by Manchester City, Arsenal (both 11), and Brighton (12).
Against only Southampton (nine victories), Wolves have secured more wins in the Premier League against West Ham (eight), with the Hammers remaining goalless in all eight encounters.
No draws in the last 16 clashes
Out of the last 16 contests between these teams, West Ham have emerged victorious on eight occasions, resulting in no draws.
The last six encounters have seen each team winning three times, with five of those six matches featuring at least three goals.
It’s notable that West Ham have lost only once in their last six home Premier League matches (W1, D4), securing more points during that stretch (seven) compared to their first nine outings at the London Stadium this season (six points – W2, L7).
Jarrod Bowen will be pivotal in West Ham’s efforts to extend this positive trend, and he enters the match in fine form.
Bowen’s importance to West Ham
He holds the record for the most Premier League goals against Wolves (six), with five of those having been scored in his last five home fixtures against them.
This season, Bowen has emerged as a central figure for his side, boasting the most goals (eight), the highest number of assists (six), the most shots (67), and the most shots on target (23), along with the greatest number of chances created (32).
However, for the Hammers to thrive offensively, their defence will also need to perform, especially given their struggles with set pieces, having conceded 17 goals this way, more than any other team in the league. If they allow another one on Friday, they’ll match the record for the most set-piece goals conceded in a single season (18 in 2002/03).
Goals expected
Joao Gomes has been in good form, contributing to two goals in his last three Premier League matches, and with 164 interceptions this season—second only to Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson (259)—it will be intriguing to see how troublesome he can be for West Ham.
Wolves, alongside West Ham, are amongst the league’s most vulnerable teams, having each conceded 54 and 57 goals respectively. Both clubs have managed just four clean sheets this season, indicating a potential feast of goals if either side’s attack finds its rhythm quickly.
Moreover, both teams have allowed late goals in double figures this season, which will be a pressing concern for Edwards and his team, particularly as they have failed to register a single victory after conceding the opening goal this campaign.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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