West Ham United face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening looking for the win which may provide them with some breathing space above the Premier League relegation zone.
As for the visitors, they travel to the London Stadium knowing that maximum points are likely required if they want to keep pace with the teams above them who are chasing a Champions League spot.
Match preview
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Given their efforts in the Europa League, there is an argument that Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo will feel that his players can benefit from the enforced three-month break.
However, as well as reaching the last 16 in European football's secondary competition, Wolves had also put together a five-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League.
Although three draws were recorded during that run, four clean sheets and a dramatic 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur have helped the West Midlands outfit into seventh position.
Resuming action with games against West Ham, Bournemouth and Aston Villa, all teams fighting for survival, will be regarded as an opportunity to move closer to the Champions League places.
Nevertheless, Wolves' style of play is generally more suited to facing higher-class opposition, and Nuno's side may need to be more proactive during their opening triple-header.
West Ham have suffered defeat in their last three encounters with Wolves, most recently in December when the home side prevailed by a 2-0 scoreline.
That said, David Moyes would have taken confidence from his team's most recent performances, despite three of the last four outings ending in defeat.
West Ham gave good accounts of themselves against Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal respectively, while also earning a much-needed 3-1 win over Southampton.
Although the East Londoners only remain out of the relegation zone on goal difference, there will be belief within their ranks that points can be accumulated against Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea respectively.
Moyes will also hope that summer arrival Sebastien Haller can pick up where he left off before the break after ending an eight-match streak without finding the back of the net.
West Ham United Premier League form: LDLLWL
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form: LDDWWD
Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions): WWLWDD
Team News
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Barring any late fitness issues, Nuno will have a fully-fit squad to select from for this contest.
Preference is likely to be given to a 3-4-3 formation, leaving Leander Dendoncker to miss out in the centre of the pitch.
With Adama Traore having seemingly recovered from a nagging shoulder issue, the winger should get the nod over Daniel Podence.
After Angelo Ogbonna recently returned to training, Hammers boss Moyes could also have his entire group of players at his disposal this weekend.
Jack Wilshere is likely to be named on the substitutes' bench after a prolonged period out of contention, with Tomas Soucek likely to feature in midfield after his loan from Slavia Prague was extended.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Noble, Soucek; Bowen, Antonio, Haller
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Doherty, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Traore, Jimenez, Jota
We say: West Ham United 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
With the two sides potentially needing time to get up to speed, we anticipate a low-scoring draw with little goalmouth action. However, with that outcome not particularly helping either team, there will be a desire to push for more should fitness levels allow them to do so.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a West Ham United win with a probability of 37.6%. A win for Wolverhampton Wanderers had a probability of 36.69% and a draw had a probability of 25.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a West Ham United win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.03%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.34%) and 2-0 (6.18%). The likeliest Wolverhampton Wanderers win was 0-1 (8.9%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.18%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 6% likelihood.
