Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the EFL Cup match.
On Wednesday night at Molineux, the second round of the EFL Cup brings together two of the biggest strugglers from the opening weeks of the Premier League: Wolverhampton and West Ham United. Both sit at the bottom of the table with heavily negative goal differences.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton are currently second from bottom, with a goal difference of -5. The scale of their problems was laid bare in a 0:4 home defeat to a not fully firing Manchester City. That was followed by a limp 0:1 loss to Bournemouth, who themselves were depleted in defence. To make matters worse, Wolverhampton played much of the second half with 10 men after an early red card. This has echoes of last season’s troubled start.
West Ham United
West Ham United have fared no better, shipping heavy defeats in both their opening fixtures. The more embarrassing of the two came against newly-promoted Sunderland — a 0:3 humiliation. Things didn’t improve against Chelsea either, despite Lucas Paquetá giving them an early lead; they collapsed to a 1:5 defeat. Defensive organisation has been non-existent, and new goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has been at fault in both games, committing costly errors. Even if he is rotated out, West Ham’s issues at the back remain severe.
Wolverhampton vs West Ham United Prediction
Neither side inspires confidence defensively, and with both leaking goals at an alarming rate, the most reliable angle is in the goal markets.
