Preview:Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United - prediction, team news, lineups

With Nuno Espirito Santo still at the helm, Nottingham Forest play host to West Ham United at the City Ground in Sunday's Premier League showdown.

The Tricky Trees remain unbeaten after the opening two matchweeks of the campaign, whereas the Irons have hit low ebb after low ebb.

Match preview

Some theorised that last weekend's trip to Crystal Palace may very well have been Santo's final act in the Nottingham Forest dugout, as the Portuguese pulled no punches in his press conference when discussing the deterioration of his relationship with president Evangelos Marinakis.

A personal rift with club chief Edu is believed to have been the main factor in the breakdown of their bond, but Santo's Forest crop managed to block out the off-field noise to steal a point from the home of FA Cup holders and European adversaries Crystal Palace last weekend.

A tie that needed no grand build-up following the recent continental spat - as Forest were promoted to the Europa League at the Eagles' expense - the contest finished 1-1 as Callum Hudson-Odoi responded to a first-half Ismaila Sarr strike in the capital.

Since then, Forest fans have learned their Europa League opponents but little more about the long-term future of their head coach, whose priority for this weekend is to snap a miserable defensive streak for his side in the Premier League.

Indeed, the Garibaldi have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 10 top-flight matches - only Fulham (11) are on a longer run of rearguard failures - but they could also win both of their first two home games in a Premier League season for the first time ever.

As Forest seek a desirable slice of history on Sunday, West Ham have already set an unwanted club record for their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign after two games, and the dreaded R word - relegation - is already being banded about.

Shipping three goals to newly-promoted Sunderland and five to London rivals Chelsea - who tore the Irons apart after falling behind two Fridays ago - means that the Hammers have suffered their worst start to a league season in 71 years, and there was no let-up in the EFL Cup.

The Irons' defensive deficiencies came to the fore once again in a 3-2 second-round defeat to Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, and if their elimination was not chastening enough, captain Jarrod Bowen having words with a member of the crowd brought the mood down even further.

A particularly damning statistic for the head coach, Graham Potter's side have taken the fewest amount of Premier League points since his appointment in January (20), and the less said about their recent feats against Nottingham Forest the better too.

Indeed, the Irons have been beaten in each of their last three Premier League battles with the Tricky Trees, and Nottingham Forest have not conceded a top-flight home goal to West Ham in the current millennium, last being breached by the London club at the City Ground in the top flight in 1996.

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

West Ham United Premier League form:

West Ham United form (all competitions):

Team News

Santo's pre-game press conference was unsurprisingly dominated by the fractious relationship at boardroom level, but it is expected to be as you were in terms of the Tricky Trees' fitness situation.

Only Nicolas Dominguez is absent for the hosts - his serious knee injury will take another few weeks to heal fully - but history could be made for one of the club's new signings.

Dan Ndoye provided the assist for Hudson-Odoi's assist at Selhurst Park, and the Swiss attacker could now become the first player to register a direct goal involvement in his first three Premier League games for Nottingham Forest.

Speaking of new attackers, West Ham announced the arrival of Mateus Fernandes from Southampton on Friday morning, and the 21-year-old - who is now the club's third-most expensive signing of all time - is eligible to make his debut on Sunday.

Otherwise, Potter has confirmed that he expects to have an identical squad available from their loss to Wolves in midweek, meaning no George Earthy (ankle), Crysencio Summerville (thigh) or Luis Guilherme (shoulder) for the time being.

Before things went pear-shaped for his side, Lucas Paqueta's stunning strike vs. Chelsea saw the Brazilian end a 14-match streak without a Premier League goal, and he is ostensibly set to stay put beyond the end of the summer transfer window.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Yates; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Diouf; Paqueta, Fernandes; Bowen

We say: Nottingham Forest 3-1 West Ham United

West Ham's miserable streak of scoring failures at the City Ground may come to an end on Sunday, but the odd consolation is surely the best that Potter's pitiful side can hope for.

A full-strength Forest attack can carve open a porous Irons defence more than once to march to an emphatic victory, one that will temporarily take them above both Arsenal and Liverpool.

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