West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest predictions and betting tips – Crunch clash at bottom

Two out-of-form, relegation-threatened teams will do battle at the London Stadium on Tuesday night, as West Ham United and Nottingham Forest meet after disappointing weekends.

West Ham are in the bottom three and Nottingham Forest are just outside it. Which way will this one go?

• Go for a West Ham United win – 2/1 with BetVictor
• Select under 2.5 goals – 20/21 with 247Bet
• Choose Jarrod Bowen to score any time – 21/10 with bet365

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest odds

Find the latest West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest predictions

Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers have not had much to cheer about this season. They did on Saturday, though, and they had West Ham United to thank for it.

Wolves finally ended their 19-game winless streak in their first outing of 2026, scoring three times without reply against West Ham.

Each of those goals came in the opening 45 minutes, as Wolves dominated proceedings from the get-go. It was a fully deserved win for Rob Edwards’s side, who were better than West Ham in every area.

That is a worry for the Hammers. Wolves have been dreadful this term, so to lose to them so comprehensively does not reflect at all well on Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.

Thankfully, the teams immediately above and below West Ham did not win either. Burnley were beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion, while Nottingham Forest went down to Aston Villa.

Still, that was scant consolation for the West Ham supporters who watched their side fold at Molineux.

Their defending was dismal in the first half, while West Ham’s attack offered next to nothing either side of the break. They ended the match with a pitiful xG of 0.25 and failed to land even a single shot on target.

Nuno will be concerned. Upon taking the job following his departure from Nottingham Forest in September, the Portuguese might have expected West Ham to be out of the drop zone by now. Instead, another loss on Tuesday would leave them seven points adrift of safety.

A victory, on the other hand, would see West Ham move within a point of Forest in 17th. The term ‘six-pointer’ has seldom been more appropriate.

After an initial bounce under Sean Dyche, Forest have lost five of their last six games. As such they remain more invested in the relegation battle than they would like to be. 

There is no shame in losing to Aston Villa, but Forest were overly defensive in the first half. Eventually their opponents found a way through and it was always going to be difficult for Dyche’s team to flick a switch after that.

“The mentality is there, but you can’t keep giving yourself a mountain to climb,* Dyche said. “Players were switching off to the basics. We have worked on it and shown them, but this is the job. I never expected it to be easy when I got here.”

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest betting tips

West Ham United and Nottingham Forest will contest a relegation six-pointer on Tuesday.

West Ham must win

This is a huge game for both teams, but it is particularly important for West Ham United. It is not an exaggeration to say that a defeat would leave them in a very difficult position indeed.

West Ham have not won a game since November 8, when they edged out Burnley at the London Stadium. Nottingham Forest have been poor of late too, but they have at least shown more than the Hammers.

Yet despite all that, we are backing Nuno’s charges to pull out a result on Tuesday. The London Stadium is not exactly a fortress, but if West Ham start quickly they will have the crowd behind them.

Neither team is likely to produce a dazzling display of attacking football in this one, but West Ham can grind out a much-needed victory in front of their own fans.

Go for a West Ham United win at 2/1 with BetVictor

Cagey match in store

As mentioned above, this is unlikely to be one for the footballing purists.

Nuno and Dyche are reactive managers at the best of times, and their teams’ situation makes a cagey encounter even more probable.

West Ham United and Nottingham Forest are fighting for their Premier League lives. This is the sort of occasion on which the target is to win by any means necessary.

Goals will be at a premium at the London Stadium. In fact, one might be enough to win it.

Select under 2.5 goals at 20/21 with 247Bet

Hammers look to Bowen

All eyes will be on Pablo, West Ham United’s new striker who will surely make his debut here, either from the start or as a substitute.

Either way, West Ham’s principal goal threat against Nottingham Forest will be the same man it always is.

You have to wonder where the Hammers would be without Jarrod Bowen. 

With six goals and an assist to his name, the England international has had a direct hand in a third of his team’s goals this term.

Bowen was on target in West Ham’s last home game and he will be a thorn in Forest’s side on Tuesday too.

Choose Jarrod Bowen to score any time at 21/10 with bet365

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest predicted lineups

• West Ham United expected lineup: Areola; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Magassa, Potts; Bowen, Fernandes, Summerville; Pablo.
• Nottingham Forest expected lineup: Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Luiz; Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Hutchinson; Jesus.

Where to watch West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest

• Location: London Stadium, London, England.
• Date and time: Tuesday 6th January, 8pm.
• How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

More Premier League predictions

We have plenty more Premier League predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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