Wolves vs West Ham Prediction: Soucek can hurt the Old Gold again

It's 17th versus 16th in the Premier League on Tuesday (19:45) as Wolverhampton Wanderers welcome West Ham United to Molineux. There are eight points separating the two teams heading into this clash, and the hosts themselves are nine points clear of the relegation zone.

The visitors won the reverse fixture 2-1 at the London Stadium back in December, so they will feel as though they have a psychological advantage over the Old Gold. Below you will find my Wolves vs West Ham predictions, featuring the latest match odds and team news.

Football Odds

Team News

Wolves are having to cope without their top scorer and most important player in Matheus Cunha due to suspension. The Brazilian was handed a four-game ban for violent conduct, which has once again angered the fan base considering they're not out of the woods yet in terms of survival.

Fellow attackers Enso Gonzalez, Leon Chiwome and Sasa Kalajdzic are ruled out of this one due to injury.

Jorgen Strand Larsen has been leading the line in Cunha's absence and the Norwegian bagged a brace in the 2-1 victory at Southampton last time out. He looks set to feature in an unchanged front three featuring Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Marshall Munetsi.

Yerson Mosquera is out of action until August, so Vitor Pereira may name Matt Doherty, Emmanuel Agbadou and Toti Gomes as his three central defenders on this occasion.

West Ham are struggling in forward areas themselves with  strikers Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug sidelined through injury, leaving loanee Evan Ferguson as the only fit option. Winger Crysencio Summerville is also in the medical bay.

Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen are set to be paired together in a makeshift strike partnership, and they may be aided by midfielders Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek.

Wolves vs West Ham Odds

Wolves have won two of their last four league games and are 11/8 to triumph on this occasion. Their last home match in the top flight ended in a stalemate, which was the outcome in West Ham's latest fixture against Everton. The draw is available at 21/10.

The Irons have also won two from their previous four games in the Premier League, including an away victory at Arsenal. They are 2/1, which has an implied probability of 33.3%, to come away with the three points.

Under 2.5 goals has been a successful bet in West Ham's past five outings in the league and is priced at 4/6 (60%) on this occasion.

West Ham to win @ 2/1

West Ham may be without a win in their last two matches in the Premier League but I think there is value to be had in backing them to win at Molineux. Graham Potter is slowly getting the team to play the way he wants them to.

He has got several players at his disposal that can serve him well in the years to come, while there are some who will be eager to show that they should be kept around.

Unlike the short reign of Julen Lopetegui, there is structure to the way the Irons play under Potter, and this alone has given them a much better chance of winning matches.

They will be feeling confident after becoming the first team to beat Arsenal at the Emirates, while a point at Everton last time out is more than respectable given the Toffees' form since former Hammers boss David Moyes took the reins.

Wolves gained some welcome relief with a win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton in their last outing, but this will be a much tougher test for Pereira's men, especially as they are still missing Cunha.

West Ham have better quality in the final third and I expect this should help them to edge past the Old Gold on Tuesday.

Tomas Soucek anytime goalscorer @ 18/5

Given the recent form of Strand Larsen for Wolves and the attacking prowess of Bowen for West Ham, both would appear the most sensible selections when picking a goalscorer for this contest.

However, the player I'm turning to is Soucek for the visitors. The towering Czech midfielder is a nuisance in the penalty area and has already racked up his fair share of goals this term, with seven in the Premier League.

Two of them have come in his previous three games, while he was also on the scoresheet in the win over Wolves back in December. Whether it's arriving late into the box or rising to meet set-pieces, Soucek poses a huge threat in the box.

And when it comes to set plays, no team in the division has conceded more from such scenarios than Wolves (17).

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