Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United
Carabao Cup second round, Molineux, Tuesday 26 August 2025, 7.30pm BST
Head Coach Graham Potter has made four changes to his West Ham United starting XI for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup second-round tie at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Alphonse Areola, Kyle Walker-Peters, Dinos Mavropanos and Guido Rodríguez are the quartet who come into the side at Molineux, with Mads Hermansen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Maximilian Kilman and Niclas Füllkrug dropping out.
Callum Wilson, whose previous appearance in the Carabao Cup was in Newcastle United’s victory over Liverpool in the 2025 final at Wembley Stadium, is also named among the Hammers’ nine substitutes. Hermansen, Kilman and Füllkrug are also on the bench, but Wan-Bissaka is not involved.
Getting back to the starting XI, Areola makes his first competitive appearance of the season in goal. The France international plays for West Ham for the 101st time and makes his sixth appearance for the Club in the Carabao Cup.
Walker-Peters, who reached the semi-finals of this competition playing alongside midfielder James Ward-Prowse with Southampton in 2022/23, makes his first start in Claret and Blue at right wing-back.
Mavropanos, who has been included in Greece’s squad for their opening two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, also makes his first appearance of the season in the centre of defence. The No15 replaces former Wolves captain Kilman, who had been an ever-present for West Ham following his summer 2024 move from Molineux until tonight.
He will be flanked by Jean-Clair Todibo and Nayef Aguerd, with Senegal international El Hadji Malick Diouf continuing at left wing-back.
The midfield will be anchored by Argentina international Rodríguez, with Ward-Prowse and Tomáš Souček playing slightly ahead of him.
The Czechia captain scored in our 2-1 Premier League win at Molineux in December 2024, as did captain Jarrod Bowen.
Ward-Prowse and Lucas Paquetá, who moves into a more advanced attacking role tonight, both scored in a 2-1 Premier League victory at Wolves in April 2024.
Bowen, who grew up not too far from Wolverhampton in the Herefordshire town of Leominster, scored the winner and assisted Souček’s goal in the December 2024 success. He found the net in Premier League wins over Wolves at London Stadium in September 2020, when he scored twice, October 2022 and December 2023.
The England forward also scored in a thrilling 3-2 Premier League victory at Molineux in April 2021, taking his overall tally to six goals and an assist in eleven career appearances for West Ham against tonight’s opponents.
The bench will be filled by goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, wing-back Ollie Scarles, midfielders Freddie Potts, Lewis Orford and Andy Irving and striker Callum Marshall.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Johnstone, R. Gomes, Mosquera, Agbadou, S. Bueno, H. Bueno, André, Bellegarde, López, Arias, Hwang ©
Subs: Bentley (GK), Tchatchoua, Doherty, Wolfe, Munetsi, J. Gomes, Chirewa, Kalajdžić, Strand Larsen
West Ham United: Areola, Walker-Peters, Todibo, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Diouf, Rodríguez, Ward-Prowse, Souček, Paquetá, Bowen ©
Subs: Hermansen (GK), Scarles, Kilman, Potts, Orford, Irving, Füllkrug, Wilson, Marshall
Referee: Darren England
