West Ham vs Nottingham Forest preview, team news, stats, line-ups and prediction

West Ham and Nottingham Forest face off in another exciting London Derby at the London Stadium on Sunday. 

Despite an impressive start to the season, including victories against Chelsea and Newcastle, the Hammers currently sit in 12th position.

Steve Cooper’s Forest, buoyed by a recent 2-0 win over Aston Villa, will aim to secure only their second away victory of the Premier League season. A win at the London Stadium could propel Forest into the top half of the table if Crystal Palace and Chelsea face defeats against Everton and Manchester City, respectively.

West Ham, fresh from a 1-0 triumph over Olympiacos in the Europa League, will also look to carry their success into this Premier League encounter.

Lucas Paqueta’s decisive goal secured the victory, avenging their earlier defeat to Olympiacos. West Ham now need just one win from their remaining two games to secure a spot in the Europa League knockout round playoffs.

The Hammers’ participation in cup competitions has provided a welcome diversion from their recent struggles in the Premier League. A notable 3-1 victory over Arsenal in the EFL Cup offered a respite, but it was followed by a painful 3-2 defeat to Brentford. In this encounter, Brentford overturned a 2-1 deficit, leaving West Ham empty-handed on November 4.

The Conference League Champions have suffered three consecutive defeats and five losses in their last seven top-flight games. This downturn has seen them slide to 12th place as they approach gameweek 12.

Forest, on the other hand, broke their winless streak in the top flight with a convincing 2-0 win against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. A quick and crisp strike from Ola Aina within the first five minutes set the tone and despite attempts from Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby, Forest’s defense held firm. Emiliano Martinez’s unintentional palm of an Orel Mangala strike into his net solidified Forest’s victory.

Both Forest and West Ham will hope to continue their winning streaks when they face off in the Premier League on Sunday. Those with West Ham tickets for the game will be hoping for a win to get their domestic campaign back on track.

Match details

• Date: 12 November 2023
• Location: London, England
• Venue: London Stadium
• Kick-off time: 2 pm GMT
• Referee: Michael Salisbury
• Assistant referee: Richard West and Derek Eaton
• Fourth Official: Robert Jones
• VAR: Peter Bankes
• Assistant VAR: Nick Hopton

Match stats and Head-to-head

• West Ham hold a strong record in this fixture, winning four out of five Premier League home games against Forest.
• Nottingham Forest have struggled overall in recent top-flight encounters with West Ham, securing just two wins in their last 17 meetings, which includes eight defeats.
• Despite this, Forest recorded a notable 1-0 victory last season at the City Ground in August, marking an impressive home Premier League return after 23 years away from the top flight, with Taiwo Awoniyi scoring on his full debut.
• West Ham enter this game on the back of three consecutive Premier League defeats against Aston Villa, Everton, and Brentford, marking their worst run since suffering five straight defeats at the end of 2022.
• Lucas Paqueta’s recent European form has been prolific, with involvement in seven goals across his last eight appearances, comprising four goals and three assists, prompting hopes for similar success in league action.
•  Forest’s recent win against Villa was crucial in ending a six-match winless streak in the Premier League that had halted their momentum after a strong start.
• Forest’s goalkeeper, Odysseas Vlachodimos, became third Greek goalkeeper to feature in the Premier League. He now aims to become the first Forest shot-stopper to keep a clean sheet in his first two Premier League appearances.
• Forest’s home record has been impressive since their promotion, but their away form has been a persistent issue since returning to the highest level in 2022-23. They’ve lost 17 away Premier League matches since the start of last season, the highest in the league, and have had 13 away matches without scoring.
• The Tricky Trees were hammered 4-0 at the London Stadium back in February and have now suffered 17 away losses since the 2022–23 season began. They have not triumphed over West Ham away from home since New Year’s Day 1997 when Kevin Campbell found the winning goal.

Team news

West Ham manager, David Moyes is optimistic that his West Ham United squad emerged unscathed from Thursday’s UEFA Europa League victory over Olympiacos.

Paqueta and Edson Alvarez, who were suspended for the Brentford match, will be available to face Nottingham Forest.

However, Kurt Zouma who is recovering from an injury sustained before the EFL Cup win over Arsenal, is doubtful for Sunday’s game.

Dinos Mavropanos may have a chance for redemption after an own goal in the Brentford loss, and Jarrod Bowen’s recent form as a striker adds to Moyes’s selection considerations.

Forest left-back Harry Toffolo who was instrumental in the win against Aston Villa, is uncertain for the West Ham clash.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood, Felipe, and Divock Origi are unavailable for Forest, and Gonzalo Montiel’s fitness status remains uncertain.

Toffolo’s potential absence might lead to Ola Aina returning to his left-back role, with Serge Aurier and Neco Williams vying for the right-back position to protect goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who had an impressive debut in the previous match.

Former Manchester United winger, Anthony Elanga, will be essential for Forest if they are to gain any points on Sunday. He has started in all of the games thus far and has had some standout games, such as when he scored the game-winning goal against Chelsea in September and two assists against Luton Town last month.

Predicted line-ups:

West Ham predicted starting line-up: Areola; Coufal, Aguerd, Mavropanos, Emerson; Alvarez, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio

Nottingham Forest predicted lien-up: Vlachodimos; Aurier, Niakhate, Murillo, Aina; Sangare, Mangala, Dominguez; Gibbs-White, Awoniyi, Elanga

Prediction

Having exited the EFL Cup and without European commitments, Nottingham Forest have more time to rest, prepare, and analyze their tactics ahead of the game against West Ham.

Despite this, they enter the game as underdogs against the Hammers.

With the Hammers looking to avoid a fourth consecutive Premier League loss, there is confidence in David Moyes’s team to deliver a spirited performance and secure maximum points, particularly considering Forest’s away struggles.