The Hammers travel to the Black Country tonight ahead of a crucial game against Wolves tomorrow evening and we have a highly informed view of the opposition from top midlands freelance journalist Tim Nash who – a Wolves supporter and reporter who has followed the famous old boys in black and gold for 40 years.
By Tim Nash
The FA Cup can be an emotional roller coaster.
Within five hours of Wolves rescuing a draw in the 93rd minute at Shrewsbury, West Ham, their next opponents in the Premier League on Tuesday, get dumped out of the competition by AFC Wimbledon.
Any rejoicing from Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo at being handed a lifeline in the Cup would have been short lived.
The priority for Nuno is Premier League points, and, as soon as the final whistle sounded at Montgomery Waters Meadow in Shropshire, his attentions would have been turning to events some 30 miles to the east, at Molineux, for the visit of the Hammers.
His focus would only have been sharpened by the shock result at Kingsmeadow.
Because while the Cup is not the main objective for either club, to be beaten by the team at the foot of League One, 58 places below you, wasn’t on the agenda for West Ham, and they won’t want to make it three straight defeats on the road after the setback at Bournemouth.
True, both teams made changes for the Cup, (Wolves made six at Shrewsbury), and, while West Ham will no doubt recall Pablo Zabaleta, Aaron Cresswell, Declan Rice, Samir Nasri and a re-settled Marko Arnautovic, for Nuno, the game will almost certainly mean the returns of Rui Patricio in goal, Jonny at wing back, Joao Moutinho in midfield and Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota up front.
Willy Boly, the towering presence at centre half, will still be missing as he completes his three-match ban for his sending off at Manchester City, but Romain Saiss has performed solidly in his place.
Adama Traore, the club record £18m signing who scored the late winner at the London Stadium in September, is likely to return to the bench after a rare start at the weekend.
One thing Wolves fans will be hoping for is something to match the entertainment levels of the last two games at Molineux.
Ruben Neves’s winner against Liverpool in the Cup, his latest special – he doesn’t do routine goals – will live long in the memory.
And the 4-3 last-gasp win against Leicester last time in the League will remain in the memory banks for even longer.
The quality of the passes of Neves before two of those goals against the Foxes was sublime.
But Jimenez, on a season-long loan from Benfica, is a player who has not just found his feet, but planted his flag firmly in the Molineux turf as if to say ‘sign me up’.
The Mexican forward scored against Liverpool and set up Jota’s winner against Leicester.
But if Neves and Jimenez are bang in form, then Jota is on fire.
The Portuguese forward took time to find his feet in the Premier League after being injured at the start of the season, but has scored five goals in his last five games.
He will be keen to build on becoming the first Wolves player in 41 years to score a top-flight hat-trick for the club, since John Richards in 1977.
One piece of history is guaranteed. It will be Molineux’s 13th successive 30,000-plus League gate for the first time since Wolves were champions of England in 1959, when they recorded the same number from March to October that year.
If Wolves win, another slice of history will be earned – it would be the first time they have completed the double over the Irons.
So much for the Cup…