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West Ham have won UEL group
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Hammers lack consistency
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Both teams scoring and conceding regularly
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West Ham v Wolves
Sunday 17 December, 14:00
Live on Sky Sports Main Event
Inconsistent Hammers edging towards glory
West Ham are a puzzling team. In the last few days they have won at Tottenham, lost 5-0 at Fulham and then cruised past Freiburg in a vital Europa League match. That success means the Hammers are spared the inconvenience of a playoff against a Champions League dropout, and they'll zoom straight to the last 16 with fellow Premier League representatives Liverpool and Brighton.
David Moyes won the Europa Conference League with West Ham last term, and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League the season before. It's quite something to have rebuilt a European tradition at a club that had been absent from continental competition for a long time.
And yet, the Glaswegian manager isn't guaranteed to carry on that tradition. His contract expires in the summer, and there have been no moves yet to extend that deal. West Ham are in the top half, have reached the last right of the League Cup and are motoring in Europe, but there seems to be little clamour to tie Moyes down.
Two of the clubs' summer signings found the net against Freiburg on Thursday, as ex-Ajax pair Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez struck. Kudus has been excellent since arriving - the Ghana international has rattled in seven goals across three competitions.
Alvarez picked up a knock on Thursday but should be ok, while Michail Antonio is injured.
O'Neil has grabbed his chance with both hands
As the old saying goes, as one door closes, another opens. That was certainly the case for Gary O'Neil in the summer, as he was jettisoned by Bournemouth, having kept the Cherries in the Premier League, but was then picked up by Wolves after the acrimonious departure of Julen Lopetegui. While the Spanish coach was frustrated with the club's inability to make the kind of signings he wanted, O'Neil has made best use of the resources at his disposal.
It's a cliché that you don't hear a bad word about someone in an industry, but with O'Neil in football it's true. I've worked with him in commentary, and he brought the same diligence and warmth to broadcasting that he does to football coaching. His players seem on board with his ideals, and he is steadily building something at Molineux in tricky circumstances.
The acquisition of 19 points from the first 16 games has left Wolves a healthy ten points above the dropzone, which should give O'Neil time and space to really bed down his ideas. He has had a positive effect on some of the club's attacking players - South Korean striker Hee-Chan Hwang is finally showing why he was once so highly rated at Salzburg (he has eight Premier League goals and two assists this season), while Matheus Cunha is starting to show the kind of consistency that has often eluded him.
The one thing O'Neil now need to find is a way to pick up points consistently on the road. Wolves have lost their last three Premier League away games at Sheffield United, Fulham and Arsenal, and overall the club has lost 11 of their last 15 road matches in the top flight, not all of them on O'Neil's watch.
Pedro Neto is still sidelined by injury, while there are fitness doubts over Rayan Ait-Nouri and Mario Lemina. Spanish defender Jonny is believed to be persona non grata after an alleged altercation with staff.
Hammers too short to get behind
West Ham are trading at 2.26/5 to take the win here, but given their inconsistency in the league, that holds little appeal. The east London side have won seven but lost six in the league, and they have only taken maximum points from two of their last six home matches in the top flight.
Instead, I'll back Both Teams To Score, Over 7.5 Corners and Lucas Paqueta to commit a foul at 2.1411/10 on the Sportsbook's Bet Builder.
A BTTS bet has landed in 15 of West Ham's last 18 Premier League matches, and 13 of Wolves' last 14 at this level. West Ham's league games average more than ten corners, while Wolves' average is above nine, and Hammers midfielder Lucas Paqueta has already committed 28 fouls, putting him fifth in the Premier League rankings.
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