West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest: Prediction, Lineups, Kickoff Time | Premier League 2025/26

On: January 5, 2026 10:55 PM

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West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Match Preview

A definitive relegation “six-pointer” takes place at the London Stadium on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, as 18th-placed West Ham United host 17th-placed Nottingham Forest. Both clubs are in crisis. West Ham sit in the relegation zone with just 14 points and are winless in their last five, coming off a demoralizing 0–3 defeat to Wolves. Forest are just one place and four points above them (18 points) but are in freefall themselves, having lost four consecutive matches, including a 1–3 loss to Aston Villa on Saturday. With the pressure reaching boiling point for both managers, this match could define the survival battle for the rest of the season.

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Match Info

Competition: Premier League (Matchday 21)
Venue: London Stadium, London (Capacity: 62,500)¹
Date: Tuesday, 6 January 2026
Kickoff: 19:45 GMT | 20:45 CET | 14:45 ET
Referee: Tony Harrington (ENG)

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Match Stakes

West Ham United (18th — 14 pts):

Win → Moves to 17 pts; closes the gap to safety (Forest) to just 1 point.
Draw → Remains in the drop zone; does little to ease the pressure or fan unrest.
Loss → Gap to safety widens to 7 points; effectively leaves them stranded in the bottom three.

Nottingham Forest (17th — 18 pts):

Win → Moves to 21 pts; creates a massive 7-point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.
Draw → Stops the losing streak (4 games); keeps West Ham at arm’s length.
Loss → Dragged right back into the mire; losing streak extends to 5 games; confidence hits rock bottom.

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Team News

West Ham United:

Wan-Bissaka A. — Out (International Duty – DR Congo)
Fabianski L. — Out (Back Injury)
Lucas Paqueta — Questionable (Back Injury – Major Doubt)
Todibo J. — Questionable (Knock)
Defensive Shuffles: With Wan-Bissaka away and Todibo doubtful, the defense that conceded 3 vs Wolves looks fragile. Coufal and Mavropanos are likely to step in.

Nottingham Forest:

Wood C. — Out (Knee Injury – Top Scorer Missing)
Yates R. — Out (Hamstring Injury – Captain Missing)
Boly W. — Out (International Duty – Ivory Coast)
Sangare I. — Out (International Duty – Ivory Coast)
Diouf M. — Out (International Duty – Senegal)
John Victor — Questionable (Injury)
Spine Removed: Forest are missing their main striker (Wood), midfield engine (Yates/Sangare), and key defender (Boly). Taiwo Awoniyi must lead the line.

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)

West Ham United

03/01 — 0–3 vs Wolves (Premier League)
31/12 — 2–2 vs Brighton (Premier League)
27/12 — 0–1 vs Fulham (Premier League)
20/12 — 0–3 vs Manchester City (Premier League)
14/12 — 2–3 vs Aston Villa (Premier League)

Nottingham Forest

03/01 — 1–3 vs Aston Villa (Premier League)
31/12 — 0–2 vs Everton (Premier League)
27/12 — 1–2 vs Manchester City (Premier League)
23/12 — 0–1 vs Fulham (Premier League)
14/12 — 3–0 vs Tottenham (Premier League)

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)

31/08/2025 — Nottingham Forest 0–3 West Ham (Premier League)
18/05/2025 — West Ham 1–2 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
02/11/2024 — Nottingham Forest 3–0 West Ham (Premier League)
17/02/2024 — Nottingham Forest 2–0 West Ham (Premier League)
12/11/2023 — West Ham 3–2 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)

West Ham United (4-2-3-1)

Areola; Coufal, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Kudus, Summerville; Antonio

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)

Sels; Williams, Murillo, Milenkovic, Aina; Ward-Prowse, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Impact Bench

West Ham United: Ings (Experience), Fullkrug (Plan B)

Nottingham Forest: Jota Silva (Energy), Sosa (Wide threat)

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Tactical Analysis

West Ham United

The Hammers are devoid of confidence, conceding goals for fun (-20 Goal Difference). Without Lucas Paqueta (likely), they lack creativity centrally. They will rely heavily on Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus to produce individual brilliance. West Ham won the reverse fixture 3–0 by countering Forest; at home, they will be expected to dictate play, which has been their weakness this season.

Nottingham Forest

Nuno Espirito Santo (or current manager) has a depleted squad. Without Chris Wood’s hold-up play and aerial threat, Forest lose their main outlet. They will look to exploit West Ham’s slow defensive transition using the pace of Elanga and Hudson-Odoi. Forest’s midfield, missing Yates and Sangare, looks lightweight against the physicality of Soucek and Alvarez.

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Key Battles

Awoniyi vs Kilman — Physical striker vs West Ham’s defensive leader.

Gibbs-White vs Alvarez — Forest’s creative spark needs to escape the Mexican’s marking.

Bowen vs Aina — West Ham’s talisman cutting inside.

Antonio vs Murillo — A battle of pure strength and speed.

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Spotlight Players

West Ham United — Jarrod Bowen

When West Ham are in trouble, they look to Bowen. In a game of this magnitude, the captain needs to drag his team out of the relegation zone by the scruff of the neck.

Nottingham Forest — Morgan Gibbs-White

With Wood and Yates out, “MGW” is the senior figure in attack. He needs to control the tempo and provide the service Awoniyi desperately needs.

West Ham United vs Nottingham Forest — Prediction

West Ham United 2–1 Nottingham Forest

It’s a battle of two struggling teams, but Forest’s absentee list is far more damaging. Missing their top scorer (Wood) and entire first-choice midfield (Yates/Sangare) tips the scales. West Ham, driven by desperation and the home crowd, should have just enough quality through Kudus and Bowen to snatch a vital lifeline.