- Ten of Forest’s 13 home games has seen both teams find the net
- West Ham are winless in 2024 across all competitions
- Recommended bet: Nottingham Forest to win and both teams to score

Nottingham Forest will be looking for breathing space with the bottom three when they host West Ham on Saturday afternoon, with Hammers boss David Moyes under increasing pressure.

A dismal 6-0 defeat at home to title-chasing Arsenal last time out means that West Ham are still without a win in 2024, and calls for Moyes’ tenure to come to a swift end continue to grow louder with the Irons now out of the top seven on goal difference.

Forest have also had their form issues this year, with the two FA Cup victories in January remaining the only times that they have bested opposition since December.

However, they have scored in 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions, and this firepower up front could be the difference maker in taking all three points this weekend. 

Team news

Forest will still be without top scorer Chris Wood on Saturday, with the Kiwi nursing a hamstring problem, while full-back Gonzalo Montiel is also unlikely to feature after missing last weekend’s defeat to Newcastle. 

There is some good news for Nuno Espirito Santo however as Ola Aina, Serge Aurier, Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare have all returned from the Africa Cup of Nations and will be available for selection.

West Ham also have a couple of injury issues, although long-term absentee Michail Antonio is not expected to return anytime soon, whilst Lucas Paqueta is not due back until March.

The stats

Forest have only failed to score in four of their 15 games at the City Ground in all competitions this season.

However they have looked defensively shaky, conceding 44 league goals in total, with only Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley boasting leakier backlines.

West Ham’s defeat to Arsenal was their heaviest ever Premier League home defeat.

The Hammers were victorious in the reverse meeting back in November, with a late Tomas Soucek winner ensuring all three points stayed in East London via a 3-2 scoreline.

Prediction

It is fair to say that both sides are in dire need of three points on Saturday, for varying reasons, with the two mired by a recent run of poor form.

Forest are winless in the league in 2024 - they did see off Blackpool and Bristol City in the FA Cup last month - and lie dangerously close to the relegation zone.

The ever-growing threat of a points deduction continues to loom over their heads, and therefore any and all points that can be claimed could be of paramount importance.

The Hammers are also without a win this calendar year and the London side have also failed to find the back of the net in three of their last five away games. 

This combined with their ability to crumble defensively - the Hammers have conceded at least four goals in four matches in all competitions this season - could prove to be an issue again, with Forest in fine goal-scoring fettle.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have scored 12 goals over their last seven league games, and should have enough to cause havoc for the Irons defence on Saturday, although their own defensive woes will mean that it is unlikely that a clean sheet is on the cards.

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