Rarely has a Premier League relegation six-pointer carried such high stakes.

When West Ham United welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night, the hosts know that victory would lift them out of the relegation zone—while Tottenham Hotspur would slip into the bottom three.

West Ham have managed just three home league wins during the 2025/26 campaign.

Spurs, meanwhile, face a difficult trip to Sunderland this weekend, and failure to secure all three points could prove costly. The Hammers are aware that if they can at least match Tottenham’s results for the remainder of the season, survival will be within reach.

However, a win is far from certain. West Ham’s home form in the Premier League has been underwhelming, with only three victories, alongside four draws and eight defeats from their 15 matches so far.

The East London side were also the first opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated this season—a result that should boost confidence for Rob Edwards and his squad as they look to end a five-game winless streak against West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Wolves are currently enduring a 17-match winless run away from Molineux in the Premier League. In contrast, the Hammers have remained unbeaten at home since their loss to Nottingham Forest in early January—excluding last weekend’s shootout defeat to Leeds United.

Wolves chasing first league double over West Ham since 2019/20

Should the visitors pull off an upset, it would mark their first league double over West Ham since the 2019/20 season.

Although Rob Edwards has overseen an improvement in form, it may have come too late for the Midlands club. After suffering 11 consecutive defeats between October and December, Wolves have since lost just four of their last 13 Premier League matches.

To give further context to their improvement, the 15 goals conceded during that time are only bettered by Man City Arsenal (both 11), and brighton (12).

Only against southamton (nine wins) have Wolves won more often than they have against the East Londoners (eight) in the Premier League, and the Hammers haven’t scored in any of those eight defeats.

No draws in the last 16 meetings

West Ham have also been on the winning side in this fixture eight times out of the last 16, meaning none of those games has ended in a draw. 

The last six have seen both sides winning three each, with at least three goals being scored in five of those six matches.

It’s also worth noting that the hosts have suffered just one defeat in their last six home Premier League matches (W1, D4). During that stretch, they’ve collected seven points—already more than the six they managed from their opening nine games at the London Stadium in 2025/26 (W2, L7).

Jarrod Bowen is expected to play a decisive role if West Ham United are to maintain that momentum, and the forward will be confident of making an impact.

Bowen proving crucial for West Ham

The attacker has scored more Premier League goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers than any other opponent (six), with five of those coming in his last five home appearances against them.

Highlighting his importance to the team, Bowen leads the way for West Ham this season in several key areas—goals (eight), assists (six), total shots (67), shots on target (23), and chances created (32).

If Jarrod Bowen and his teammates deliver going forward, then West Ham United must also remain solid defensively. However, should Bowen be effectively neutralised, it’s easy to imagine how much that could disrupt the Hammers’ overall performance.

Their vulnerability at the back was highlighted in their most recent Premier League outing, when John McGinn found the net for Aston Villa—marking West Ham’s 17th goal conceded from set pieces this season. No other side has allowed more, and another here would see them match their all-time record of 18, set in the 2002/03 campaign.

Goals expected

João Gomes has been in strong form, contributing to two goals in his last three Premier League appearances. Meanwhile, his defensive work stands out too—his 164 interceptions this season are second only to Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest (259). His influence could prove pivotal as he looks to trouble West Ham.

Only Burnley (61) have conceded more Premier League goals this season than Wolverhampton Wanderers (54) and West Ham United (57). With both sides managing just four clean sheets each, it points to potential opportunities for whichever attack finds its rhythm first.

Both teams have also let in double-digit goals in the closing stages of matches, underlining their struggles to see games out. More concerning for Rob Edwards and his players, however, is the fact that they are yet to win a single league game this season after conceding the opening goal.