Paul Merson makes West Ham United prediction v Wolves as David Moyes pressure builds
Paul Merson believes West Ham United will continue to slip down the Premier League table with a loss against fellow relegation rivals Wolves on Saturday (14 January).
The pressure on David Moyes has been partly stalled thanks to a point picked up in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road and a 1-0 win over Brentford in the FA Cup on Saturday (7 January), but his Hammers side remain on the precipice of the drop zone.
Wolves continued their impressive start to life under Julen Lopetegui with an impressive point against Aston Villa, and Merson believes they will continue their resurgence with a nervy 1-0 win over West Ham at the Molineux Stadium.
In his predictions column for Sportskeeda, Merson said: “I know this is currently a relegation battle, but I don’t see either of these teams going down because their managers are good.
“If West Ham sack Moyes, I think they might be in trouble.
“David Moyes is turning a corner at West Ham and he’s done well to revive his side’s fortunes. Wolves will avoid relegation as well. This could be a tight game, and I think Wolves will win it.
Building
There have been promising signs for Moyes and West Ham in their last two outings, with the team looking far improved defensively against Brentford at the weekend.
The timely return of World Cup hero Nayef Aguerd has added a sense of calm to the Hammers’ back-five that wasn’t present when Aaron Cresswell was playing at centre-back, while Ben Johnson also looked bright on his return from injury.
When rebuilding confidence, a solid defence is a foundation for all else to flourish around, and it seems like Moyes is looking to adopt this principle with the newly-tried five at the back.
Despite Wolves’ strong form during the festive period, you can’t help but feel West Ham could be at the start of a run that could dismiss any ideas of a relegation fight at the end of the season.
The match will likely be a tense and low-scoring affair, as Merson predicted, but Moyes’ side can nick it with a moment of magic from the likes of Said Benrahma or Lucas Paqueta.