West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Premier League, London Stadium, Saturday 1 October 2022, 5.30pm BST
West Ham United return to Premier League action after the September international break when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to London Stadium on Saturday evening.
It has been a slow start to the 2022/23 season for both clubs, who finished seventh and tenth in the table respectively last term.
The Irons are seeking to end a run of three top-flight matches without a win and hope to climb out of the bottom three with a victory over Bruno Lage's Wolves, who sit just one place and two points above David Moyes' men in 17th.
Both teams will need to improve their goalscoring output, however, as each have scored just three goals in their opening seven Premier League matches.
Tickets...
Make sure you don't miss out on a ticket for this sold-out fixture, as seats are available to buy or relist on the Ticket Exchange!
Supporters can purchase their seats on the Ticket Exchange, while Season Ticket holders who cannot make this match can also relist their seat, allowing fellow fans the chance to be at a London derby and fill London Stadium with the Claret and Blue Army.
Season Ticket Holders who relist on the Ticket Exchange will earn Club Cash to redeem against club products, including their Season Ticket renewal, when their seat sells.
How to Follow...
Saturday’s tea-time kick-off will be broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports Premier League and across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners. You can also listen to live commentary in the UK on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Travel...
Due to strike action by members of the ASLEF and RMT unions, rail services will be severely disrupted or cancelled on Saturday. It is likely that there will be a very limited service on Greater Anglia, c2c and other train companies.
Supporters should visit the National Rail website to plan their journey if you are planning to travel on the rail network.
Elizabeth line services will run between Shenfield and Stratford, but with a reduced service of two trains per hour from around 7.30am until 5.30pm only. Saturday's match will end around 7.20pm.
London Overground services will run, as will London Underground services on all lines except the Waterloo & City, which is closed on Saturday as usual.
Supporters are advised to check their journeys before travel, with resources such as TfL's Journey Planner or the TfL Go app helping to plan your journey.
Matchday Information...
West Ham United Season Ticket Holders attending Saturday evening’s Premier League fixture at London Stadium are reminded that they will need to download their NFC (Near-Field Communication) Season Tickets to their mobile phone ahead of the game.
For the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, all Hammers Season Ticket Holders will gain entry to London Stadium via their NFC Season Ticket – an efficient and convenient solution on matchdays, which is being rolled out across the Premier League, whereby supporters can simply tap their way into the ground via their NFC-enabled mobile phone device.
To download your ticket direct to your mobile phone, view our step-by-step guide by clicking here.
Official Programme...
West Ham United's 116-page Official Programme for Saturday's Premier League fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers is on sale now.
With London Stadium set to host another capacity 62,500 crowd, we have produced a bumper issue crammed full of exclusive interviews and exciting content for fans of all ages, complete with a double-sided A3 poster.
The Irons' Official Programme is available to order online now for just £4, plus £1.49 postage and packaging*.
Team News...
David Moyes welcomed his band of international players back from duty for their respective countries during the September break this week, and will assess their fitness before selecting his squad for Saturday's game.
Nayef Aguerd has stepped up his fitness work as he recovers from an ankle injury, but he is still some weeks from a return to action. However, fellow defender Ben Johnson has returned to training.
For Wolverhampton Wanderers, centre-back Nathan Collins is suspended, while winger Chiquinho (knee) and centre-forward Saša Kalajdžić (ACL) are both out long-term.
It remains to be seen if Bruno Lage calls upon new signing Diego Costa, who has not played competitive football since January.
Opposition...
Defensively resolute in Bruno Lage’s first season, Wolves have made a tactical switch ahead of the new campaign.
In the Portugal boss’ second season, Lage’s men have so far lined up with a 4-3-3 formation – a considerable tweak from the much-used back-three which has been commonplace at Molineux for the last five years.
The switch aims to bring success to the other end of the pitch. Wolves only scored in half of their matches at Molineux last season and there is hope a move to more attacking players on the field will lead to more goals being scored.
Lage also freshened up his forward line, signing Austrian giant Saša Kalajdžić to provide competition for Raúl Jiménez, only for the centre-forward to suffer a serious knee injury inside the first 45 minutes of his Wolves career.
The head coach has been provided with Diego Costa, but while the Spanish striker’s pedigree is without question, his match-fitness will be, at least in the early going.
Of course, there are other consequences to this tactical switch, not least in defence. The main change is the loss of the sweeper, a role which has been ever-present in Wolves’ setup over the past years, both figuratively and literally.
Former skipper Conor Coady – who played more minutes than any Wolves player last season (3,364) – has joined Everton on loan, and it remains to be seen what effect his absence will have on and off the pitch.
Coady’s exit means Max Kilman and Irishman Nathan Collins are the two centre-backs preferred by Lage, although the latter is suspended for today’s game after he was sent-off in the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City. It will be interesting to see who slots in alongside Kilman against West Ham United, with Colombian youngster Yerson Mosquera in line for a potential Premier League debut.
Previous Meetings...
West Ham United meet Wolverhampton Wanderers for the 13th time in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Wolves have edged things in this competition, registering six wins to West Ham's five, with just one draw.
West Ham's most emphatic Premier League result against Wolves was the 4-0 victory we scored over them at London Stadium in September 2020.
A 1-0 win in February this year means the Irons are seeking a third straight top-flight win over the men from Molineux.
Prior to that, the Hammers registered two 5-0 top-flight wins over Wolves in the old First Division, with Bobby Moore scoring in both victories at the Boleyn Ground in both December 1960 and September 1964.
Match Officials...
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis & Neil Davies
Fourth official: Michael Salisbury
VAR: Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin
Born in Salford, Manchester in December 1980, Paul Tierney is registered with the Lancashire Football Association and first got a taste for officiating in the Premier League in the 2008/09 season, when he served as the assistant referee for Hull City's visit to Newcastle United.
Tierney became a member of the National Group of Referees ahead of the 2009/10 campaign.
His first experience of being the man in the middle for a Premier League match came in the 2014/15 campaign, when he oversaw Swansea City versus West Bromwich Albion at the Liberty Stadium.
Tierney officiated the EFL Championship Play-Off final between Aston Villa and Derby County in May 2019 and also refereed the 2021 EFL Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, both at Wembley.
