West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Prediction: Stalemate feels inevitable

Nottingham Forest's draw at home to Leicester City last weekend looks to have dealt their Uefa Champions League chances a huge blow. The Tricky Trees are a point behind Chelsea in fifth but sit seventh. The Reds travel to West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday (14:15, Sky Sports Main Event).

The Irons were 2-0 victors at Manchester United last time out and they are unbeaten in their past three fixtures at home. Read on for my West Ham vs Nottingham Forest predictions, accompanied by the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

West Ham confirmed last week that Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell, Danny Ings and Lukasz Fabianski would all be leaving the club in the summer upon the expiration of their contracts.

Michail Antonio, who suffered a broken leg in a car crash back in December, is also out of contract at the end of the season but the club are mulling over what to do as he is in a "unique" situation - as described by boss Graham Potter.

Crysencio Summerville is also in the treatment room with a thigh problem, in what has been a stop-start first season in east London.

Top scorer Jarrod Bowen led the line with Mohammed Kudus at Old Trafford last time out, but veteran Niclas Fullkrug will provide competition for a start on Sunday.

Tomas Soucek featured behind them and was able to grab his ninth league goal of the campaign, his second-best return in a single season for the Irons.

Following the drama late on in last week's draw with Leicester, in which Taiwo Awoniyi collided with the post, it was later revealed that the Nigerian had ruptured his intestine. The striker has since undergone surgery and he is not going to be in contention for Sunday's trip to the capital.

Callum Hudson-Odoi will need to be monitored after he has missed the last couple of games with a hamstring problem. Should he miss out again, expect Anthony Elanga to occupy the left flank, with Nicolas Dominguez filling in on the right side.

Morgan Gibbs-White should continue to operate in between them, with 20-goal Chris Wood spearheading the attack.

West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Odds

West Ham ended an eight-game winless run in the Premier League last weekend and they are 7/4 to post back-to-back victories for the first time since February.

The Hammers have drawn their past three home matches and Forest have experienced stalemates in their previous two outings in the top flight. The draw is on offer at 5/2, which has an implied probability of 28.6%.

Forest have one win in their last four fixtures and they are 8/5 to collect the three points on Sunday.

Both teams to score is on offer at 8/11 and it has been a winning selection in five of West Ham's past six top-flight contests.

Soucek has two goals in his last three appearances for the hosts and he is 5/2 to grab his 10th league goal of the campaign.

Draw @ 5/2

The wheels have fallen off at the wrong time for Nottingham Forest. For months it looked like they were going to be assured a top-five spot but th form has dipped massively in recent weeks, with just one win in their previous six matches in the league.

After failing to beat one of the worst sides in the division in Leicester last week, the Tricky Trees have given themselves a lot to do in their final two games of the season. Following their clash with West Ham, they then have to face their direct rivals in the race for the Champions League, Chelsea, at the City Ground on the final day.

It may be too late by the time they come to play the Blues, and I think a point at the London Stadium could potentially end all hope of a late return to the top five. With the form Forest are in at the moment, I can't back them to win - their race appears to have been run. At least they have secured European football next season, even if it isn't the competition they were hoping for.

The visitors have drawn their past two contests in the Premier League heading into Sunday, while the last three matches at the London Stadium have seen West Ham held to a draw. I think this is smartest result to cover here.

Jarrod Bowen anytime goalscorer @ 15/8

A player who can pile more misery onto Forest in this clash is West Ham's main man Bowen. The England international has netted 11 goals in the league this term, his third double digit haul in the past four seasons.

He has been the Irons' inspiration this year in a disappointing campaign and he is finishing the term strongly. The 28-year-old has found the net in four of his last six appearances in the top flight, including the previous two. Bowen is also on a run of three consecutive games at home in which he has scored, and I fancy this trend to continue against a frail Forest side.

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