The Matchday 3 Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and West Ham will take place on August 31 at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espírito Santo's team has accumulated 4 points after two matches. In the first round, the club defeated Brentford 3-1 at home and then drew 1-1 away against Crystal Palace. As a result, Nottingham has suffered only one defeat (against Chelsea) in their last six Premier League matches, securing two wins and three draws. Ahead of Matchday 3, the team is in 5th place.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Nottingham Forest's last 6 league games.
- The club has managed only one win in their last five home Premier League matches (1 draw, 3 losses).
- Nottingham has scored more than one goal in only 2 of their last 8 home league matches.
Predicted lineup for Nottingham Forest (4-3-3)
Matz Sels – Ola Aina, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Neco Williams – Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangaré – Dan Ndoye, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood.
West Ham
The Londoners are at the bottom of the table after two rounds. Graham Potter's side started with two heavy defeats: losing 0-3 away to Sunderland and being thrashed 1-5 at home by Chelsea. Their goal difference stands at 1-8. Interestingly, West Ham has never conceded 8 goals in the first two rounds in their top-flight history.
- The club has won only 2 of their last 13 league matches (4 draws, 7 losses).
- Both teams scored in 8 of West Ham's last 10 Premier League games.
- At least 3 goals were scored in 4 of their last 5 away league matches.
Predicted lineup for West Ham (5-3-2)
Mads Hermansen – Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo, El-Hadji Malik Diouf, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Nayef Aguerd – James Ward-Prowse, Tomáš Souček, Lucas Paquetá – Jarrod Bowen, Niclas Füllkrug.
Referee
Craig Pawson (England)
Matches – 23 (Premier League, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 96;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 22%.
Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham: Match Prediction
Graham Potter is the leading candidate for dismissal among Premier League managers. His team was unprepared for the new season's start, performing poorly in defense by conceding 5 goals to the world's top club Chelsea and 3 goals to Sunderland, who averaged less than 1.5 goals per game in the Championship. It seems unlikely that much will change in a week, and I predict that the Londoners will concede at least two goals in this match.
Nottingham has started the season well, quickly entering the top five, largely due to their strong attacking play, scoring 4 goals. I believe Nuno Espírito Santo's team will continue to collect points and trouble opposing goalkeepers, but they are unlikely to keep a clean sheet, having conceded in their last 10 consecutive Premier League matches. Additionally, in the previous five head-to-head Premier League meetings, at least 3 goals were scored in four of them.
My prediction – Total over 2.5 goals
