Key Points
- Both managers on extremely thin ice
- Tension, tension, and more tension
- Put faith in Bowen to deliver profits
West Ham host Wolves in the Monday night football with both sides floundering at the wrong end of the table in what looks to be a relegation six-pointer down in east London.
Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui is in the firing line once again after back-to-back defeats has left them down in 14th and just six points above Gary O’Neil’s Wolves heading into the crunch clash.
Worries and woes
West Ham have lost 4 of their 7 games this term at the London Stadium and have the 5th worst home record in the PL.
For Gary O’Neil and Wolves, it’s been a season of struggle after just 2 wins and suffering 9 defeats from their 14 games has left them 2nd bottom and 3 points from safety.
The latest defeat away to Everton in midweek summed up their issues at the back as they shipped 4 or more goals in a game for a staggering 4th time.
Wolves have the worst defensive record in the league
Wolves have the worst defensive record so far in the PL, conceding an alarming 36 goals. So it’s no surprise to see the root cause of why they find themselves entrenched in the relegation mire.
Lopetegui’s West Ham don’t fare much better either in the defensive standings. With 27 goals shipped the 4th worst in the league and on home soil they have conceded the 3rd highest number with 15, an average of over 2 goals per match.
Clean sheets have been hard to come by for both teams too. The Hammers have kept only 1 at the London Stadium while O’Neil’s Wolves are yet to keep a clean sheet on the road all campaign and have only 1 from their 14 fixtures this season.
Both gaffers in the firing line
Following hapless campaigns so far, it’s no wonder both bosses find themselves under intense scrutiny and the pressure of being sacked hanging over them with each passing game.
The Hammers have won 1 of the last 5 games and have let in a concerning 8 goals in the last 2 PL matches, leaving Lopetegui’s job hanging by a thread.
Similarly, O’Neil has been holding on to his position as Wolves head coach for what feels like months now and they too have lost the last 2 matches conceding 4 goals in each of these games.
Crunch clash for both outfits
It certainly has the feel it could be one or even both managers' potential final game in charge, with the game having the makings of a crunch six-pointer even at this stage in the season.
A heavy defeat for either manager would surely spell disaster but I don’t feel either side will change their style of play, particularly not Wolves who have been gung-ho all campaign and very open at the back.
A victory for West Ham would leave the West Midlands side languishing in the relegation places. However, 3 points for Wolves would drag The Hammers right into the relegation mix and move O’Neil’s team to within 3 points of West Ham so the game has plenty at stake.
Bowen to be relied upon again
As he has so often been for West Ham in recent seasons, Jarrod Bowen looks to be the main goals threat again for Lopetegui’s outfit.
With 3 goals and 3 assists this term, Bowen is normally at the heart of the West Ham attacks, predominantly playing down The Hammers’ right side. 39% of the east London side's attacks come from their right-hand side and Bowen has averaged 2.4 shots per game at both the London Stadium and overall in his 14 appearances.
One bet, strong confidence
When deciding on a bet in this one, it’s important to consider that there’s so much on the line for both sets of supporters and coaching staff.
It could well be whichever side is the bravest and shows the most courage that ends up coming out with maximum points at full-time. I would imagine one goal could decide it but without much confidence of who that might be for.
Given there has been 10 or more corners in each of the last 5 Hammers games, the best price of 4/7 with
Betfair Sportsbook
on there being over 9.5 corners does look more than fair but in Wolves’ last 5 games this has only occurred once so it can be swerved.
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Top tip: Bowen over 2.5 shots at 4/5 with Unibet
Instead, my tip is based on the number of shots I feel West Ham will have against a creaky Wolves rearguard, and in particular creative spark Jarrod Bowen.
Lopetegui’s men had a total of 31 shots in their midweek loss to Leicester and 10 of these were on target. Similarly, in the defeat to Arsenal last weekend The Hammers had 10 shots at goal and have averaged 14.7 shots at goal this season.
A moment of brilliance could be the difference and West Ham’s Bowen certainly has this in his locker. Last campaign, Bowen managed to score 16 times and assist 6 goals in the PL and he is joint-top scorer for The Hammers this term so obviously isn’t shy to have a pop at the target.
I expect a lot of The Hammers’ creativity and chances to go through him and Bowen to have over 2.5 shots is best priced 4/5 with
Unibet. In such a game against an open outfit in Wolves, I strongly suspect this will pay off by full-time on Monday night.
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Bet £10 & Get £40 in Bonuses.
West Ham vs Wolves Best Bet
- Market:
Player Shots
- Selection:
Jarrod Bowen Over 2.5
- Odds:
4/5
- Stake:
1.25pts
- Bookie:
Unibet
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