West Ham United v Nottingham Forest Prediction and Betting Tip - Odds, H2H and Preview Predictions

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest Preview

With just two games left of the 24/25 season, all the eyes are swivelling toward Nottingham Forest as they hope to recover their once-promising Champions League surprise run.

A panic-inducing run of just 1 league win in their last 6 matches has seen them drop from a comfortable position in the top 5 down to seventh in the table, now hoping to spark fresh inspiration into the team and gather luck from the results of Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Standing in their way is a West Ham United side with nothing left to play for this season other than personal pride. However, pride at the end of the season is an important attribute in it's own right, and The Hammers will certainly not be rolling over for The Reds as they make their way to the London Stadium.

Key Statistics

• West Ham United enter the clash having picked up their first win in 8 matches, seeing off lowly Manchester United 2-0 away at Old Trafford last time out
• The Hammers sit in 15th position after a disappointing season, albeit 18 points clear of relegated Ipswich Town
• Forest are looking to recover their Champions League hopes at the last few chances, having slipped down to 7th following a surprise draw against relegated Leicester City last week
• The Reds will ideally need to win both of their last two games, their last coming against position rivals Chelsea, whilst hoping Aston Villa drop points against either Tottenham or Manchester United in order to reach Europe's premier contest
• Nuno Santo's sides disappointing draw against Leicester did, however, see them qualify for Europe in some capacity, with Forest now unable to finish lower than a Conference League position

West Ham United Preview

Predicted Starting Lineup: Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Mavraponos, Wan-Bissaka, Coufal, Ward-Prowse, Soucek, Paqueta, Bowen, Kudus

West Ham United, for a team crowned as European Champions just a few seasons ago, have endured a pretty dismal campaign, on the whole.

A summer of promising signings has proven to be ineffective, just as David Moyes' replacement, Julen Lopetegui, proved to be as well. The Spaniard was dismissed relatively quickly, with former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter coming into his place.

The English coach, reknown for being a long-term project manager, hasn't spurred West Ham into immediate high spirits, and The Hammers now look set to finish just a few spots above the relegation zone after a solid 9th place finish in Moyes' last hurrah.

They'll be looking to restore some pride going into the first full season under Potter, as well as some pre-set momentum, and any hoping for the Hammers to lie down for Forest will be certainly disappointed.

In terms of their personnel, Michail Antonio will of course be unavailable following his horrific injury earlier this season. Summer signing Crysencio Summerville is also expected to be absent, having not played since the 10th of January.

Nottingham Forest Preview

Predicted Starting Lineup: Sels, Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Dominguez, Elanga, Wood

Nottingham Forest's season, regardless of how it may now end, has been seriously impressive.

Many punters in the watching world, having watched The Reds avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth in back-to-back campaigns understandably assumed that this year would be one year too many for the East Midlands outfit.

Instead, Nuno Santo has led them to European football for the first time since 1996. However, they are still aiming higher than that having sat in 3rd position for a great number of months in this Premier League edition.

A poor run that has featured just 1 league win from 6 attempts has seen Forest now reliant on outside help, needing Aston Villa to drop points alongside good results for Forest against West Ham and Chelsea if they wish to crack into the Champions League.

Whilst West Ham United are not the favourites this weekend, neither were the likes of Brentford, Everton and Leicester City, all of whom took vital points away from Forest's top 5 assault.

Forest may have the league authority to their name this season, but time will tell whether or not their nerves will hold in a clash holding massive connotations.

In regards to their available players, Taiwo Awoniyi will be a certain miss. The deputy striker at the City Ground suffered a horrible clash with the goalpost against Leicester, which has seen him undergo emergency abdominal surgery as well as being placed into an induced coma, seeing his season, and potentially a good chunk of next season, come to an end.

Elsewhere, Callum Hudson-Odoi may be available for an injury return having been a sore miss against Crystal Palace and Leicester City, whilst Murillo, taken off injured against Palace and absent against Leicester, has returned to full training.

Where to Watch

You can catch this important fixture on Sky Sports Main Event. Kick-off will be at 2:15PM, UK time, on Sunday the 18th of May, 2025.

West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Betting Tip

With Nottingham Forest in dire need of a big win, in order to stop their rot and keep some form of control over their Champions League hopes this season, we can see them getting past a West Ham side with nothing to play for to do so.

You can get in on that market at odds of 2.6 over at Betfred, meaning a £10 stake will return £26!

West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Prediction

Though we expect Forest to come away as the victors, we don't foresee it being totally simple for them. Though Matz Sels is on the hunt for a unprecedented Golden Glove award, we don't fancy a total shutout for The Reds, and we predict a solid enough 2-1 away win.