There are potentially sky-high stakes involved in managers Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil’s team selections when West Ham host Wolves in the Premier League on Monday.
O’Neil was the bookmakers’ favourite to be the next top-flight managerial departure before kick-off, having overseen consecutive defeats for the second-bottom side.
Lopetegui is widely reported to have been given a one-game stay of execution by the 14th-placed Hammers following heavy defeats against Arsenal and Leicester City.
Here are the confirmed line-ups, starting sides and team news for the final game of the 15th round of matches in the 2024/25 Premier League.
Monday night football 🔜 pic.twitter.com/WoA4Wy9viy
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 9, 2024
West Ham lineup vs Wolves
West Ham announced on Sunday that Michail Antonio has undergone surgery on a lower limb fracture following his car crash on Saturday. The players will be showing their support for the forward before the match.
Defender Jean-Clair Todibo suffered an adductor injury during the 3-1 defeat at Leicester. Full-back Emerson started in place of Vladimir Coufal in one of two changes for the hosts, with Crysencio Summerville replacing Danny Ings in attack.
West Ham starting XI: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson, Soucek, Alvarez, Bowen, Soler, Kudus, Summerville
Subs: Areola, Cresswell, Coufal, Paqueta, Fullkrug, Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Todibo
How we start against Wolves tonight ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/8HMm8VS2x8
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 9, 2024
Wolves lineup vs West Ham
Wolves defender Nelson Semedo returns after a one-match suspension and Pablo Sarabia is out with a calf problem.
Sam Johnstone supplants Jose Sa in goal, while Toti also comes in, with Craig Dawson and Goncalo Guedes dropping to the bench.
Defender Yerson Mosquera, midfielder Boubacar Traore and forward Sasa Kalajdzic are long-term absentees.
Wolves starting XI: Johnstone, Doherty, Bueno, Semedo, Ait Nouri, Andre, Lemina, J Gomes, Cunha, Larsen, Goncalo Guedes
Subs: Bentley, Hwang, Dawson, R Gomes, Doyle, Forbs, Bellegarde, Guedes, Lima
3️⃣ Three changes from #EVEWOL
➡️ Johnstone, Semedo and Toti all into the XIHow we line-up to take on @WestHam.
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 9, 2024
West Ham vs Wolves latest
Only the sides in the relegation places – Ipswich Town, Wolves and bottom team Southampton – have worse home records than West Ham’s tally of seven points from a possible 21 this season.
West Ham are six points clear of the drop zone and seven behind 10th-placed Fulham, but their performances under Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes in May on a two-year deal with the option of an extra year, have put the Spaniard under pressure.
Wolves are four points behind fourth-bottom Crystal Palace, with one of their two league victories coming away from Molineux.
Those wins preceded a 4-2 home defeat against Bournemouth on November 30 and a 4-0 thrashing at Everton on Wednesday, when Dawson scored two second-half own goals.
