There are likely to be high stakes in the selections for coaches Julen Lopetegui and Gary O'Neill when West Ham host Wolves in the Premier League on Monday.
O'Neill was the bookies' favorite to be the next top-flight managerial departure before kick-off, having overseen successive defeats for the second-bottom side.
Lopetegui is widely reported to have been handed a one-match penalty by the 14th-placed Hammers after heavy defeats to Arsenal and Leicester City.
Here are the confirmed lineups, starting lineups and team news for the final match of round 15 of the 2024/25 Premier League.
Monday Night Football 🔜 pic.twitter.com/WoA4Wy9viy
– West Ham United (@WestHam) December 9, 2024
West Ham lineup against Wolverhampton
West Ham announced on Sunday that Michail Antonio underwent surgery for a fracture in his lower limb after a car accident on Saturday. The players will show their support for the striker before the match.
Defender Jean-Clair Todibo suffered an adductor muscle injury during the 3-1 defeat to Leicester City. Full-back Emerson started in place of Vladimir Coufal in one of two changes for the hosts, with Crescencio Summerville replacing Danny Ings up front.
West Ham starting lineup: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson, Soucek, Alvarez, Bowen, Soler, Kudos, Somerville
Submarines: Areola, Cresswell, Coufal, Paqueta, Volkrug, Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Todibo
How do we start against Wolves tonight ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/8HMm8VS2x8
– West Ham United (@WestHam) December 9, 2024
Wolves lineup against West Ham
Wolverhampton defender Nelson Semedo returns after a one-match suspension, while Pablo Sarabia is absent due to a calf injury.
Sam Johnstone replaces Jose Sa in goal, while Totti also comes in, with Craig Dawson and Goncalo Guedes named to the bench.
Defender Yerson Mosquera, midfielder Boubacar Traore and striker Sasa Kalajdzic have been absent for a long time.
Wolves starting from the eleventh: Johnston, Doherty, Bueno, Semedo, Ait Nouri, Andre, Lemina, Gomez, Cunha, Larsen, Goncalo Guedes.
Submarines: Bentley, Hwang, Dawson, R. Gomes, Doyle, Forbes, Bellegarde, Guedes, Lima.
3️⃣ Three changes from #EVEWOL
➡️ Johnstone, Semedo and Totti in the starting lineupHow do we line up to take over? @West Ham.
– Wolves (@wolves) December 9, 2024
West Ham Wolves latest match
Only the teams 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 is six points away from the relegation zone and seven points behind Fulham, which is in tenth place, but the team’s performance under the leadership of Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes last May on a two-year contract with the option to extend for an additional year, has put the Spaniard under pressure. .
Wolves are four points behind fourth-placed Crystal Palace, with one of their two league victories coming at Molineux Stadium.
Those wins preceded a 4-2 defeat at home to Bournemouth on November 30, and a 4-0 defeat to Everton on Wednesday, when Dawson scored two own goals in the second half.
