Nottingham Forest and West Ham United will aim to build on their victories in Gameweek 9 when they clash at the City Ground on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 10. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with the match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St. James’ Park. The action on Saturday will resume with five simultaneous games, including Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest might be the biggest surprise package of the 2024/25 Premier League season thus far. The Midlands outfit spent the 2023/24 campaign in the relegation battle. However, Nuno Espirito Santo has sprung a surprise and forged a solid team, giving a feeling of vindication to the club’s decision-makers after a few years of heavy spending.
The Tricky Trees are seventh in the Premier League standings, losing only once thus far this term, with fourth-placed Aston Villa only two points ahead. On the other hand, West Ham United have blown hot and cold in the first few weeks of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
The Hammers were one of the heaviest spenders in the summer transfer window and made some impressive signings. However, Julen Lopetegui has struggled to inspire his team to embark on a winning run, with the East London club losing four times in nine outings. But last weekend’s 2-1 win over Manchester United eased some pressure on the Spanish tactician.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Nottingham Forest clinch a 2-0 win over West Ham United, with Kalvin Phillips seeing red for the away side. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Nottingham Forest manager might be bereft of the services of as many as seven first-team players on Saturday.
The Tricky Trees’ manager is sweating over the fitness of Elliot Anderson (ankle), Jota Silva (knock), Morgan Gibbs-White (ankle), and Chris Wood (foot). However, the quartet should be fit enough to be in the matchday squad. Meanwhile, James Ward-Prowse is ineligible to take on his parent club. In addition, Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) are long-term absentees.
Matz Sels will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Nottingham Forest lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs West Ham United on Saturday. The backline should feature Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Alex Moreno.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Yates should pair up with Nicolas Dominguez in the double pivot, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Elliot Anderson will reprise the no. 10 role, with Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest against West Ham United.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Dominguez; Elanga, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
West Ham United
Unlike his counterpart in the Nottingham Forest dugout, Julen Lopetegui does not have any new concerns to worry about ahead of the trip to the City Ground. The West Ham United manager will be without two first-team players on Saturday.
Mohammed Kudus is the most notable absentee, with the Ghanaian international still serving a suspension. He will not return until after the international break. Meanwhile, Niclas Fullkrug remains on the sidelines due to his persistent fitness issues this season.
Lukasz Fabianski pipped Alphonse Areola to the goalkeeping berth last weekend and should get the nod again, with West Ham United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The backline should feature Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and Emerson Palmieri.
As for the midfield unit, Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek should pair up in the double pivot. Lucas Paqueta will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville being the two wide attackers. Finally, Michail Antonio will spearhead the West Ham attack against Nottingham Forest.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville; Antonio
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have won their last three home games vs West Ham United in all competitions without conceding. The Tricky Trees are looking to win three successive top-flight home matches against the Hammers for the first time since a run of four between 1969 and 1978.
- Nottingham Forest are vying to win three Premier League games in a row for the first time since May 1999. The Tricky Trees are already halfway to last season’s points total of 32 after just nine games.
- West Ham United have kept just one clean sheet in their past 27 Premier League matches.
- Nottingham Forest have the second-best defensive record in the Premier League, having shipped just seven goals.
- Jarrod Bowen has 46 Premier League goals for West Ham United, with only Paolo Di Canio, Mark Noble (both 47), and Michail Antonio (68) scoring more for the East London club.
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville were top candidates for the section after their exploits against Manchester United. However, we have picked Chris Wood as the Player to Watch for this weekend’s clash between Nottingham Forest and West Ham United.
Wood has scored seven of Nottingham Forest’s 11 Premier League goals this term, a league-high 64% of his team’s total. So, he will be Nuno Espirito Santo’s go-to man this weekend. Meanwhile, Wood is level with Stan Collymore on 22 Premier League goals for Forest. Only Bryan Roy, with 24, has scored more. He will look to get closer to Roy’s tally this weekend.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-1 West Ham United
West Ham United will be flying high after last weekend’s impressive win over Manchester United. However, the match exposed that Julen Lopetegui has yet to fix his team’s defensive issues, problems that Nottingham Forest can exploit this weekend.
Chris Wood should rise to the occasion again, continuing his excellent start to the 2024/25 season. However, West Ham will not go down without a fight, with Crysensio Summerville making his mark again. But that might be too little, too late for the away side. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Nuno Espirito Santo and his charges.
