The City Ground will see Premier League action in the 21st century when David Moyes will bring his West Ham squad to face Nottingham Forest for the first time. Both teams have started their Premier League campaigns with a defeat. West Ham fell to title aspiring Man City side at home, while The Trees returned empty-handed from their trip to St. James Park. Which of these two sides will get their first points of the season? Or do top football betting tips experts believe a draw will be the likeliest outcome of this clash?
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest put on a dauntless display to keep Newcastle attackers at bay for nearly an hour. But, an unstoppable Fabian Schar strike ended their resilience, and the hosts doubled their lead in the final minutes to rule out a late Nottingham Forest comeback.
From a defensive perspective, Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper will be happy with what he saw. Despite Newcastle’s dominance in the first half, they barely troubled Dean Henderson at the Forest goal. It took a ferocious long-range strike from the edge of the box to breach Forest’s defence. However, Forest did not have much to offer on the attacking end. Cooper will hope the electric atmosphere of the City Ground will help his team to be more adventurous going forward.
Omar Richards, who arrived on a £8.5 million transfer from Bayern Munich, will have to wait longer to make his Forest debut. The defender fractured his leg during the preseason and will need more time to return to match fitness. Nottingham fans can expect to see the club’s other summer signing, Orel Mangala to start at the heart of the Nottingham Forest midfield. Ryan Yates is likely to miss out, but Steve Cook may make it to the matchday squad.
West Ham United
West Ham were victim to an an outstanding Erling Haaland performance when the Hammers hosted Man City last weekend. The towering Norwegian was a menace throughout the game and bagged a brace to hand his side a 2-0 win.
The hosts came out swinging after the kickoff, but Manchester City took control of the game by keeping hold of the ball for prolonged sessions. West Ham slowly faded out of the game and had to endure a painful home defeat. But, West Ham’s Sunday afternoon opposition doesn’t have the same quality in their squad as the defending Premier League champions. So, West Ham will be hoping to sustain the pressure and open their Premier League points accounts at the expense of Forest.
The season has just started, but already David Moyes has a long list of injuries to worry about. Angelo Ogbonna might need one more month to return from his ACL injury. Craig Dawson picked up a thigh strain against City, and he is not the only player to leave the field injured that day. West Ham custodian Lukasz Fabianski was stretchered off the pitch after picking up a hip injury. That means Alphonse Areola will stand between the sticks for the London outfit. The club’s new defensive recruit Nayef Aguerd will also be unavailable as he recently underwent ankle surgery. Unlike the defence, West Ham can call upon all of their attacking assets. In fact, they will have more attacking options in this match as new arrival Maxwel Cornet will be available for selection.
Our Prediction
West Ham’s injury crisis in defense will leave them vulnerable in the back. But, they have the quality in their frontline to outscore Nottingham Forest. So, we are expecting a 2-1 win for West Ham.
Our Tip
West Ham to win @ 1.91
