A Premier League pundit has backed Nottingham Forest to overcome West Ham in a crucial clash towards the bottom of the table on Tuesday evening.
West Ham Host Nottingham Forest in Crucial Relegation Clash
Both West Ham and Nottingham Forest are in the midst of a relegation battle, and the pair go head-to-head in a crucial clash towards the bottom of the Premier League table on Tuesday.
They head into the tie separated by just one position and four points in the table, with the Hammers sitting in the relegation zone in 18th, while Forest are currently safe in 17th place.
Jarrod Bowen and co are the third favourites in the Premier League relegation odds market, priced at 4/7. Sean Dyche’s Reds are at 4/1 thanks to their more favourable position in the table.
West Ham suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat away at bottom-of-the-table Wolves last Saturday, which extended the East London club’s winless run to nine straight matches in the league.
It’s their worst run of results since the end of the 2010-11 campaign when they were relegated.
Given their dreadful form since November, it has been suggested in several reports that Forest’s midweek visit could be Nuno Espirito Santo’s final opportunity to save his West Ham career.
Former boss Slaven Bilic is currently the favourite in the next West Ham manager odds market.
Forest aren’t in much better form, as they have now lost four successive matches in the league.
Their 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday followed on from losses to Fulham, Manchester City and Everton. Their last win came in the form of a 3-0 triumph over Tottenham last month.
Dyche’s job isn’t considered to be in immediate danger, however defeat to the Hammers will put them at risk of dropping into the bottom three. This scenario would likely see serious pressure begin to mount on the former Everton and Burnley manager.
Nottingham Forest Tipped to Beat West Ham
Premier League pundit and one-time former England international Chris Sutton has backed West Ham’s woes to continue on Tuesday, tipping Nottingham Forest to claim a narrow victory.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Sutton backed the Reds to seal a 1-0 win at the London Stadium.
“Nottingham Forest have lost four games in a row but West Ham are in even worse shape.”
Touching on West Ham’s 3-0 loss last weekend, he said: “The manner of their defeat at Wolves on Saturday has cranked up the pressure on Hammers manager Nuno Espirito Santo.”
Espirito Santo is now the outright favourite in the Premier League sack race odds market off the back of their defeat at Molineux. He is priced at 4/7 to be the next manager to go in the division.
Sutton continued: “West Ham beat Forest 3-0 earlier this season but, unfortunately for Nuno, that was when he was still Forest boss – it was his final game in charge.
“How he could do with another 3-0 West Ham win this time, but I do not see it happening.
“It is a nightmare for them to be at home, really, because you can imagine what the mood will be like inside the stadium before kick-off.
“I don’t think it will have improved by full-time, either. I just have a feeling Sean Dyche’s Forest will have a bit more nous, and will sneak a narrow win.”
If Forest do prevail, the Hammers will find themselves seven points adrift of safety.
That would present a major deficit for Nuno and his coaching staff to overturn, but the arrivals of attacking duo Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe should provide a boost to their survival hopes.
Following Tuesday night’s clash, up next for West Ham and Forest is the FA Cup third round.
The Hammers host QPR in their cup clash on Sunday afternoon, while the Reds travel to north Wales to take on in-form Championship side Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground on Friday.
