Premier League: Is This the Start of West Ham United’s Turnaround?

Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United

West Ham United got a huge shot in the arm following their latest Premier League win against Manchester United, which saw Erik ten Hag lose his head coaching job. Julen Lopetegui’s men will look to build a new winning streak when they take on Nottingham Forest this Saturday at City Ground.

However, doing so is going to be easier said than done for the Hammers because Forest are in fine form. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is undefeated in four of their last five, so they’ve improved to seventh in the table (compared to West Ham United’s 13^th).

Suddenly, Nottingham Forest fans are realising that, just maybe, returning to European football is possible this season.

Despite their gap in the standings, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United are only separated by five points, so there’s no room for complacency for these two sides.

 

Talking Points

Wood in rampant form for Nottingham Forest

Believe it or not, Chris Wood is one of the frontrunners in this year’s Golden Boot race, as he now has seven Premier League goals, level with Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.

Four of those goals have come in his last three appearances to help Nottingham Forest secure wins over Leicester City and Crystal Palace and a draw against Chelsea.

Because Wood is off to a fast start, Nottingham Forest have opened extension talks with him since his current contract is expiring at the end of this season. According to reports, they plan to keep the New Zealand international for an additional two-and-a-half years.

The 32-year-old striker is expected to continue to shoulder the heavy load for Nottingham Forest, especially since none of his teammates have scored more than one goal thus far.

Morgan Gibbs-White is supposed to help Chris Wood, but he has missed Forest’s last two games. The 24-year-old midfielder was suspended in their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and missed the Leicester City match due to an ankle injury.

Elliot Anderson will continue to deputise for Gibbs-White in the meantime, with Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the wings, and the 21-year-old already has two assists to lead the squad.

Nottingham Forest’s other notable absentees include Danilo, Ibrahim Sangare, and James Ward-Prowse.

 

Bowen will continue to lead West Ham United

Mohammed Kudus and Niclas Fullkrug are still unavailable to play for West Ham United, which means that Jarrod Bowen will be tasked with carrying the offencive cudgels on Saturday.

Bowen got the Hammers back on track when he coolly converted his spot-kick after a questionable penalty call on Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt late.

The 27-year-old forward became the latest player in Premier League history to score in three different managers’ final matches in charge in a list that also features Chris Wood.

Crysencio Summerville has also earned minutes for this upcoming match after scoring the Hammers’ first goal against the Red Devils. We won’t be surprised if the former Leeds United winger replaces Carlos Soler in the starting XI.

 

History

Nottingham Forest have beaten West Ham United at City Ground in their last two Premier League matches since their return to the English top-flight in 2022. If they win again this weekend, it’ll mark the first time since May 1999 that they’ve won three straight in the Premier League.

West Ham United have lost two of their last four Premier League matches against Nottingham Forest (W2) after losing just one of their previous 15 against them in the English top-flight (W7, D7).

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have only conceded seven times so far this season, good for the second-best mark in the Premier League. It’s their fewest tally at this juncture of a league season since 2014-15 (7 in the Championship) and in the English top-flight since 1978-79 (7).

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2024 odds expect a tight affair between Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. Because they’re playing at home, Forest are given the slight edge at 2.19, while the Hammers are at 3.05 to win, and a draw is at 3.16 in the 1X2 market.

West Ham United should experience an upturn in form soon, but not this weekend because they’re still missing key players up front.

A quick look at their recent encounters also indicates that this fixture can produce several Premier League 2024 highlights.

So, other than our recommended bet above, SBOTOP bettors can also go for options like Total Goal 2-3 at 1.92, Over 2.25 at 1.63, Over 2.50 at 1.90, or even Over 2.75 at 2.14.

   

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