Nottingham Forest find themselves just two points outside the top four as they prepare to entertain West Ham United at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have made an eye-catching start to the season, losing just one of their nine Premier League games, while the Hammers have struggled for consistency.
Can Forest continue to climb the table? Or will Julen Lopetegui’s men build on last weekend’s victory over Manchester United? Forebet’s predictive analytics model awaits.
🏟️💪 pic.twitter.com/H1S1rP53dP— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) October 29, 2024
🏟️💪 pic.twitter.com/H1S1rP53dP
Nottingham Forest head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a 3-1 victory over Leicester City, with Chris Wood bagging a brace at the King Power Stadium.
Wood has now scored seven goals in nine Premier League games this season, netting a whopping 64% of Forest’s 11 league goals in 2024-25.
Following two draws and one defeat, the Tricky Trees picked up their first home league win of the campaign on Matchday 8, defeating Crystal Palace 1-0.
It is also worth noting that Nuno’s side boast the second-best defensive record in the division, as only Liverpool (5) have conceded fewer goals than Forest (7).
Meanwhile, West Ham clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester United last time out, with Jarrod Bowen scoring the winner from the penalty spot in the 92nd minute.
The Hammers have now won two of their previous three Premier League matches, with a 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town preceding a 4-1 defeat to Spurs.
It would not be unfair to say that West Ham have experienced an inconsistent start under Lopetegui, as they have recorded three wins, two draws and four losses in the league.
As a result, the Hammers find themselves 13th in the table – five points behind seventh-placed Forest – with the sixth-worst defensive record.
Head-to-head: Nottingham Forest claimed a 2-0 home victory over West Ham back in February, meaning the Reds have won three of their last five matches against the Hammers.
Since the previous six encounters have produced a total of 20 goals (3.3 goals per game), Saturday’s showdown will likely be a high-scoring affair.
Team news: The hosts are still without injured duo Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo, while West Ham loanee James Ward-Prowse is unable to face his parent club.
As for the visitors, Mohammed Kudus is still suspended following his red card against Spurs, while Niclas Fullkrug remains one the sidelines due to injury.
There is no denying that West Ham have upped their game in recent weeks, but Lopetegui’s side will struggle to halt Forest’s impressive form.
Forebet’s AI algorithm predicts that Nottingham Forest and West Ham United will share over 2.5 goals, with the hosts outscoring the visitors.