Neither West Ham or Wolverhampton Wanderers are assured of Premier League safety just yet this season and the pair meet on Tuesday at Upton Park in a relegation six-pointer. NFL jerseys
Wolves, under much-maligned manager Mick McCarthy, have performed with credit upon their return to the top flight and I think they’ve enough about them to remain in it come mid-May.
A point on Tuesday would go a long way to preserving Wolves’ status and the visitors look a decent bet to secure at least that given their overall recent form.
A 2-2 draw at west midlands rivals Aston Villa on Saturday was another indication that McCarthy’s side have the required quality to survive and that point came on the back of an excellent win at fellow relegation candidates Burnley.
Midfielder Matt Jarvis was on the score sheet that day at Turf Moor and he is just one of several players in gold this season that has performed better than could have possibly been expected for McCarthy.
Wolves’ narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester United the time before that victory over the Clarets convinced me there were at least three other Premier League clubs more likely to be playing Championship football next season than Wanderers and I’m more than happy to be laying West Ham on Tuesday.
You have to go back to late December to find the last time that Wolves took a real hiding from anybody, a 3-0 home loss to Manchester City, and they face a West Ham side coming off the back of four consecutive defeats.
While there is no shame for any team in the lower half of the table being comprehensively stuffed by Chelsea, Manchester United and, most recently, Arsenal, West Ham’s home defeat to Bolton must have concerned their coach Gianfranco Zola and he now has a tough task to rally his troops for the final weeks of the season.
West Ham’s lack of confidence over the past month has been evident in their tentative displays and Tuesday’s game is certainly one they dare not lose. As such, I think all the pressure is on the hosts and couldn’t be backing them at even money, let alone the best-priced 1.83 available.
With Mick McCarthy set to name an unchanged side for the seventh consecutive match, Wolves looks excellent value for at least a draw and the hosts’ chances surely rest squarely on the shoulders of England striker Carlton Cole. The West Ham forward could well be named in the starting line up, following recent injury, but his fitness is taken on trust and even a rampant Cole would struggle to make an impact given the quality of the team-mates that surround him.
没有评论:
发表评论