Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United
English Premier League, KO: 15:00 Feb 17, 2024, The City Ground
Nottingham Forest host West Ham United in a Premier League fixture with both teams looking to find their best form. The defences have been particularly woeful in recent times and Saturday’s clash looks set to produce goals.
Things have been rough for Nottingham Forest in recent weeks as they have picked up just two wins from their last 13 Premier League matches. They have been slowly sliding down the table and are now just two points above the relegation zone.
Nottingham Forest are coming off a 3-2 home defeat to Newcastle United in their previous Premier League fixture. They had come back to level matters twice through Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi but went on to concede the winner after the break.
That result highlights the major problem for Nottingham Forest as they seem unable to keep things tight at the back. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 13 Premier League matches.
In terms of defences, West Ham were in shambles last time out as they were hammered 6-0 by Arsenal. They seemed helpless to stop wave after wave of attack and also failed to create much of their 9wn chances going forward.
Although David Moyes called it the worst performance since taking charge of West Ham, the Hammers have actually been far from their best in recent times. They are winless in their last seven matches across all competitions, conceding 14 goals in that run.
While things have been generally rough for West Ham lately, there have been a few key results on their recent travels. They are unbeaten in four of their last six away matches with a 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur and a 2-0 win at Arsenal among their results in that run.
How the bookies view it
Nottingham Forest have a slight edge among the bookies with a home win priced at 6/4 by bet365. A victory for West Ham is valued at 19/10 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 with William Hill.
Head to head
Nottingham Forest have 28 wins each with 15 draws from 71 previous matches. The Hammers claimed a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture, although Forest picked up a 1-0 win in the last meeting at the City Ground.
Players to watch
Taiwo Awoniyi remains the focal point of Nottingham Forest’s attack and will be looking to add to his five Premier League goals this season. The striker was on target in the reverse fixture and is priced at 6/4 by William Hill to get on the score sheet once again.
Jarrod Bowen had been on a mini dry spell in recent weeks but remains West Ham’s leading scorer with 11 Premier League goals. The forward got one of the goals in the reverse fixture and is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in the reverse fixture and a similar outcome is priced at 21/10 by BoyleSports. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 17/20 by bet365, who is also offering odds of 7/10 on both teams to score.
There were more goals after the break in the reverse fixture and Saturday’ clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This English Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and West Ham United will be played on Feb 17, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
