Wolverhampton Wanderers will be hosting the in-form West Ham United at the Molineux Stadium on Matchday 12 of the 2021-22 Premier League season. Wolves are currently in eighth place of the standings, having earned 16 points from their 11 games. On the other hand, West Ham United are in third place, having a great season and having 23 points from their 11 games. They are only three points behind leaders Chelsea and level on points with Man City, who are in second place. In this post, we will look at some of the stats related to the game between the Wolves and the Hammers on the weekend.
Wolves lost their most recent league game to rivals Crystal Palace, but were in great form before that, having won four of the last five league games before facing Palace. West Ham are on a different level under David Moyes this season. They are undefeated in seven games across all competitions and have won their last four consecutive Premier League games. They are targeting a top-four finish and look very strong for it.
The above viz shows the xG (expected goals) value for all teams in the Premier League. West Ham have had a great season so far and have an xG of 21.80. They have overachieved the xG by scoring 23 goals, with Antonio scoring six goals for them. Wolves, on the other hand, have had an xG of just 15.09, which has been highly underachieved as they have only scored 11 goals in their 11 games. Hee-Chan Hwang has been their top scorer with his four goals.
The viz above shows the xGA or expected goals against value for various teams in the division. A lower value in xGA means better defense. Wolves have had an xGA of 14.08 which is lower than their opponents, and they have conceded just 12 goals in 11 games. On the other hand, the Hammers have had an xGA of more than 16 and have conceded a total of 13 goals.
In terms of passing and successful passes, both Wolves and West Ham have had a very similar number of passes. West Ham have had 3900 successful passes, while Wolves have had 3881. Both teams are very strong defensively, but when it comes to attacking, West Ham United have been doing very well this season and are in third place. Based on recent form, we expect West Ham to pick up a close victory away at Wolves.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ possible starting lineup(3-4-3):
GK: Jose Sa; CBs: Max Kilman, Conor Coady, Romaine Saiss; RWB: Nelson Semedo, CMs: Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, LWB: Rayan Ait-Nouri; RW: Daniel Podence, ST: Raul Jimenez, LW: Huang Hee-Chan
West Ham United’s possible starting lineup(4-2-3-1):
GK: Lukasz Fabianski; RB: Ben Johnson, CBs: Kurt Zouma, Craig Dawson, LB: Aaron Cresswell; CDMs: Thomas Soucek, Declan Rice; RAM: Jarrod Bowen, CAM: Said Benrahma, LAM: Pablo Fornals; ST: Michail Antonio
