West Ham v Nottingham Forest preview: Moyes looks to lift pressure
The Hammers have slumped into the relegation zone after an alarming run of one win in their last 11 Premier League (PL) outings (D3, L7), leaving the Londoners staring down the barrel of their first demotion since 2010/11, a campaign which also saw them sit on a tally of 20 points after 23 matches played!
West Ham are the only team currently in the bottom five yet to change their manager this season, but Moyes insists he can turn their form around, stating “we’ve been here before and I’m sure we can do it again.”
Even so, a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham last weekend, as well as just one win from their last five PL home outings (D1, L3), means there is plenty of work to do as Nottingham Forest visit the London Stadium.
Steve Cooper’s side arrive in the capital five points above the bottom three, but they have a dire record against the Hammers, whom they have beaten away from home just once since 1986 (D2, L10).
That mirrors their terrible return on the road in the PL this season, where they have lost seven times in 11 fixtures (W1, D3), with their tally of six points the joint lowest in the top flight.
The Tricky Trees have also managed just one win across their last six outings in all competitions (D2, L3), raising fears about their top-flight credentials.
Confidence in the squad remains high though, especially after a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City last time out, after which goalscorer Chris Wood, a January signing from Newcastle, stated: “We believe we will stay up.”
Players to watch: West Ham will hope Jarrod Bowen can end a three-game goal drought, as they’ve won on 11 of his last 15 (D3, L1) goalscoring appearances. He may be outshone by the Tricky Trees’ Chris Wood however, who’s netted more PL goals against the Hammers than any other opponent - striking seven in ten H2H meetings (W4, D3, L3).
Hot stat: Only two of Nottingham Forest’s 11 away PL fixtures have seen both teams score, a league low.
