Sunday’s (November 12, 2023) action in the Premier League is giving us a tilt between West Ham United and Nottingham Forest at London Stadium. West Ham (13th with 14 points) enter this Round 12 clash with three straight PL defeats, while Forest (14th with 13 points) finally snapped their six-game winless run with a victory over Aston Villa last weekend. Take a look at our West Ham vs Nottingham Forest betting preview and prediction.
West Ham (Form and News)
West Ham United come into this contest boasting two wins from their last three competitive matches (L1), but both came in cup competitions including a 1-0 UEFA Europa League win at home to Olympiacos on Thursday. In the Premier League (PL), they’ve won just one of their last seven outings (D1, L5), mounting some pressure on manager David Moyes as he seeks to kick-start their faltering league campaign.
He’ll be desperate to get back to winning ways in PL action here and the Hammers should take some comfort from the fact his side boasts a pretty dominant H2H record against Nottingham Forest, losing only two of the last 17 top-flight clashes (W8, D7). That being said, they are winless in their three matches directly after a European contest this season (D1, L2).
Hot stat: West Ham have won just six of their last 34 Premier League matches against teams who weren’t just promoted into the division that season (D8, L20).
Player to watch: Influential West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen has been involved in ten goals in his last 12 PL starts (G8, A2).
Moyes doesn’t have any new injured players; only Kurt Zouma is questionable to feature on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest (Form and News)
Nottingham Forest ended a disappointing six-game winless run (D4, L2) in style last week by beating high-flying Aston Villa 2-0. A delighted manager Steve Cooper labelled that success a win his side “really wanted”, but his attention will have quickly switched to this contest with it coming on the road. Forest have been notorious poor travelers since their top-tier return, highlighted by the fact no side since the start of last season has lost more away PL matches (17).
However, Forest haven’t had it easy on their travels so far in this campaign, with all but one of their away PL matches coming against sides starting the round in the top ten, contributing to a rather bleak record (W1, D1, L4). They failed to score in each of their last three in that streak, just as they did in their 4-0 drubbing at this venue back in February.
Player to watch: Odysseas Vlachodimos marked his Forest Premier League debut with a clean sheet, extending his record to three shutouts in his past four appearances for club and country.
Cooper will be without Callum Hudson-Odoi (thigh). Felipe (knee), Gonzalo Montiel (muscle), Divock Origi (groin), and Chris Wood (thigh) are questionable.
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West Ham vs Nottingham Forest H2H Record
Over the last ten H2Hs, West Ham recorded six wins; Nottingham have three, with one draw. In London, West Ham won six of the previous seven meetings (D1), and are on a four-game winning streak against Forest.
West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Odds
West Ham are -108 favorites to get a win on Sunday. A draw is at +290, while you can back Nottingham Forest at +333. Bettors who prefer betting on goals instead of winners can go with Over 2.5 at -119, or Under 2.5 at +116. For both teams to score backers, pick between BTTS YES at -137 and BTTS NO at +125. Make sure to get the latest Premier League odds here!
West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Pick
The latest PL loss to Brentford showed West Ham’s defensive troubles, but the Hammers can be encouraged by the fact they kept a clean sheet against Olympiacos. Forest scored just four goals in six road matches so far in the league and failed to do so in each of the previous three. On the other hand, West Ham failed to score in just one match this year in all competitions. It was in a 1-0 home defeat to Everton.
Nottingham’s poor away record and the fact that the tradition is on West Ham’s side in H2H duels are enough arguments for me to back the home team here. The Hammers could deal with the European hangover, but Forest’s inefficiency on the road is worrying. Go with West Ham.
AUTHOR: Oliver Zivic
