West Ham will be looking to get back to winning ways in the league following their 5-0 defeat away to Fulham last week.
It’s a significant game for David Moyes who will no doubt come under scrutiny should his West Ham side fail to bounce back from their 5-0 defeat to the Cottagers.
Pressure was eased after a routine win the Uefa Europa League on Thursday against Freiburg, but league form must get back to winning ways.
Clean sheets have been in short supply, with Moyes’ side going nine consecutive league games without a clean sheet since beating Sheffield United 2-0 in September. Considering Moyes’ preference to play pragmatically, the pressure on the attack should West Ham go a goal down could be too much.
Who’s missing for West Ham?
Manager David Moyes confirmed in his pre-Wolves press conference that Edson Álvarez took a knock to the hip in Thursday’s win over SC Freiburg which could rule the Mexican out of the game on Sunday.
Michail Antonio is still absent for the Irons, having sustained an injury during the November international break while away with Jamaica.
Moyes was afforded the opportunity to rotate his side in the midweek clash against Freiburg which will undoubtedly give him fresh legs ahead of the game with Wolves.
Tapping into the potential of this West Ham side
It’s almost certainly the best squad Moyes has had at his disposal in his tenure with several big-money signings coming in.
One of those signings, Mohammed Kudus has been in excellent form in recent weeks, scoring against in the Europa League. However, a key component missing from Moyes’ arsenal is a functioning striker.
Whilst West Ham have quality in attack, the reluctance to field Danny Ings because of his poor output means the pressure to sign a number nine in January should one become available.
Otherwise, it’s hard to see this team thriving this season which would be a huge problem for Moyes and his contract situation.
