Nottingham Forest vs West Ham tips: Attackers to come out on top at City Ground

Nottingham Forest’s Premier League clash with West Ham on Saturday may well be won by whichever side commits the fewest mistakes, but it’s hard to trust either of them.

Nuno Espírito Santo, head coach of Nottingham Forest.
Nuno Espírito Santo, head coach of Nottingham Forest.

Nottingham Forest may be relishing the opportunity to face a wounded West Ham side on Saturday, but David Moyes' side may bite back.

Losing 6-0 as a Premier League team has to be a painful experience and it wasn't that long ago the Hammers went unbeaten in 12 of 14 across all competitions.

West Ham are still in the privileged position of pushing for Europe, but defeat could mean a gap as big as eight points to fifth place Man Utd and more pressure on David Moyes.

On the other hand, a win for Forest would give them a five-point cushion. Loss and they could drop into the bottom three ahead of fixtures against Aston Villa and Liverpool.

Back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Man Utd have been consigned to the history books and look like they can be attributed to the new manager bounce, but it's been flat since.

Forest's major problem has been conceding goals. They've shipped nine in four which is largely in keeping with their season and we're yet to see all of the hallmarks of a Nuno team.

The major positive is Forest have found the net 13 times in seven matches and are on pace to comfortably outscore the sides currently in the relegation zone.

West Ham have also flourished in that department, scoring two or more in five of seven away from home, but Mohamed Kudus' absence limited their creativity.

His presence coupled with their motivation to respond should see them break Forest down at least once, but it's hard to trust either of these sides to win.

Team news

Chris Wood and Gonzalo Montiel are the only injured absentees for Nottingham Forest.

Nuno has confirmed that Ibrahim Sangare, Ola Aina and Willy Boly will be afforded an extra week of rest after African Cup of Nations duty.

Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio are on the road to recovery but this game is expected to come too soon.

The Hammers have an otherwise clean bill of health and David Moyes is likely to ring the changes after a 6-0 hammering last weekend.

Key stats

-  At least one side has scored two or more in nine of 10 meetings

-  The last eight meetings have averaged 4.12 goals

-  Forest are winless in six, while West Ham are winless in seven

- Forest have scored in seven straight Premier League games, totalling 13 goals

- West Ham have scored two goals in five of seven Premier League away games

Suggested bets

Correct score: 2-2 draw

Both teams to score

West Ham: Over 1.5 goals


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