Nottingham Forest vs. West Ham United: Nuno Espirito Santo's side bidding to end 25-year streak

Nottingham Forest will be looking to end a 25-year streak when they play host to West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side have enjoyed a strong start to the campaign to sit in seventh position in the Premier League standings.

As well as accumulating 16 points from nine matches, the Portuguese's side also possess the second-best defensive record in the top flight with just seven goals conceded.

The East Midlands outfit have set up an opportunity to potentially move into fifth place in the table with a victory over the Hammers at the City Ground.

That is a consequence of Aston Villa and Chelsea each playing in tough away fixtures at Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United on Sunday.

However, for that to become a reality, Forest will need to do something that they have not achieved for a quarter of a century.

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A milestone pre-Millennium up for grabs

Forest's time in the Premier League has been limited since 1999, this season representing just their third during that period of time.

Nevertheless, Forest concluded that relegation campaign before the turn of the Millennium with three successive wins.

Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City were all defeated, with the late Chris Bart-Williams scoring two of Forest's five goals in those games.

Should Forest overcome West Ham at the weekend, it will mark the first time they have recorded three top-flight wins in a row since that aforementioned season.

Crystal Palace and Leicester were each defeated last week, with a 1-0 triumph being posted over the Eagles before Forest overcame their regional rivals by a 3-1 scoreline.

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West Ham on upward trajectory?

Julen Lopetegui has already come under pressure at the London Stadium after his side made a less-than-impressive start under his watch.

However, the East Londoners have recently recorded home victories over Ipswich Town and Manchester United respectively to move into 13th place in the table.

As a result, West Ham can register back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since March, while they are also bidding to keep their first clean sheet against a team outside of London for the first time since April 2023.