Nottingham Forest v West Ham United
Premier League, City Ground, Saturday 2 November 2024, 3pm GMT
West Ham United will be looking to build on last weekend’s thrilling triumph over Manchester United when they travel to high-flying Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Hammers have won two of their last three Premier League clashes and now head north for their first top-flight outing of 2024/25 outside of London, hoping to boost their current 13th-place standing.
Forest have proved to be one of the most eye-catching outfits in the division so far this term, roaring up to seventh - and just two points off the top four - with four wins and only one defeat from their nine games.
Indeed, they are on a run of back-to-back victories, after emphatically seeing off Leicester City 3-1 away from home last time out, in the wake of a narrow win at home to Crystal Palace.
Boss Nuno Espírito Santo has earned plenty of plaudits for the job he has done in the East Midlands since his December 2023 appointment, steering the Tricky Trees to safety last season before inspiring their impressive, ongoing form.
All signs point to an enticing match-up at the City Ground then, with both teams full of confidence and aiming to further their momentum ahead of the November international break.
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 2,940 tickets have sold out.
The first 90 per cent of tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 22+ Loyalty Points. The remaining ten per cent (294 tickets) were then made available by a ballot process to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture. This ballot closed at 12noon on Tuesday 1 October.
Travel…
The address for your sat nav is City Ground, Nottingham, NG2 5FJ. However, there is not much by way of street parking to be had in the streets around the stadium.
From the south, that means you’ll leave the M1 at Junction 24 and follow the signs for Nottingham and then for football traffic.
There are a number of car parks within a mile of the City Ground, including those at Meadow Lane (Notts County’s home ground), Nottingham railway station, County Hall, the Cattle Market, Lady Bay Sports Ground and Victoria Embankment.
For those travelling by train, Nottingham is on the East Midlands Railway line from London St Pancras.
Direct trains leave St Pancras at .05 and .35 past the hour, arriving at Nottingham around an hour-and-a-half later. It’s a 20-minute walk along Queens Road, London Road and along the River Trent.
West Ham United fans will be situated in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand.
After the game, direct trains depart Nottingham for London at 17.11, 17.50 and 18.12.
How To Follow…
Saturday’s 3pm kick-off will NOT be broadcast live in the UK, but will be shown across the world by the Premier League’s international broadcast partners.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on BBC Radio London, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Team News…
Forward Mohammed Kudus will serve the second match of his suspension against Nottingham Forest, having been sent-off at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 19 October.
Meanwhile, fellow attacker Niclas Füllkrug continues to recover from the injury he sustained while away with Germany in September, and will likely be assessed once again.
For Forest, top scorer Chris Wood suffered a knock against Leicester in their last game, and Morgan Gibbs-White is a doubt after being sidelined for his team’s previous two fixtures.
James Ward-Prowse is ineligible to face his parent Club, while Danilo and Ibrahim Sangaré are both expected to be out.
Opposition…
Nottingham Forest represent one of the Premier League’s most in-form sides, having flown to the cusp of the UEFA Champions League places at the start of the 2024/25 season under Nuno Espírito Santo.
The ex-Wolves and Tottenham boss has got Reds fans dreaming of a fully-fledged return to former glories, after inspiring a nine-game run that has featured just one defeat and four victories, including a first away at Liverpool since 1969.
Following a somewhat challenging start to life at the City Ground in the wake of his December 2023 appointment, Portuguese native Espírito Santo first ensured safety at the end of 2023/24 before spending a productive pre-season moulding his squad and implementing his philosophies that have yielded such success.
One of the most recognised football institutions in England, that have been among the country’s biggest sleeping giants for so long, Forest boast two European Cup wins, a European Super Cup triumph, a First Division title and four EFL Cup crowns from Brian Clough’s illustrious 18-year spell in charge, between 1975-93.
While the Tricky Trees have also lifted the FA Cup twice since forming in 1865, in 1898 and 1959, they have spent much of their recent past chasing former glories, and after three relegations from the Premier League in seven years, were consigned to EFL Championship and League One football for 23 years.
That curse was finally lifted by Steve Cooper at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, with the Welshman having replaced Chris Hughton that September and inspired a fourth-place finish, before victory over Huddersfield Town in the Play-Off final.
A bold transfer strategy was duly implemented by Forest upon their return to the promised land, with 32 names joining the team in 2022/23, and though Cooper helped earn a 16th-place finish that term he was ultimately replaced by Espírito Santo after toying with trouble into the middle part of the last campaign.
Further additions - including West Ham midfielder Ward-Prowse on loan - have complemented the existing talent in the East Midlands, while the likes of striker Wood have hit the ground running since August, with the New Zealand forward boasting seven Premier League strikes already in 2024/25.
The challenge now for Forest is to maintain their impressive run, and look towards achieving what would be a first top-half Premier League finish since 1995/96. Some supporters may even have their eyes set on an unexpected voyage into Europe…
Previous Meetings…
Saturday’s contest marks the 121st competitive meeting between West Ham and Nottingham Forest, but only the 13th in the Premier League.
Overall, the Hammers edge the head-to-head statistics, with 48 wins to their name. There have been 26 draws between the teams, while Forest have come out on top on 46 occasions.
Each of the last four match-ups - since Forest’s return to the English top flight in 2022 - have gone the way of the home side, with West Ham having won 4-0 and 3-2 at London Stadium in February 2023 and November 2023 respectively.
Either side of those two encounters, the Tricky Trees came out on top at the City Ground 1-0 in August 2022, and 2-0 in the teams’ last clash in February earlier this year, courtesy of Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi strikes.
The Irons last took all three points on their travels against Forest on 28 August 2011, when goals from Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Winston Reid, and a Luke Chambers own-goal, yielded a 4-1 triumph en route to promotion from the second tier.
Match Officials…
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Eddie Smart and Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth Official: Craig Pawson
VAR: Alex Chilowicz
Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis
Peter Bankes has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The 42-year-old has been part of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) Select Group One since the 2019/20 campaign, three seasons after being promoted to Select Group Two.
His first appointment in the top-flight came in August 2019, for Leicester City’s 3-1 home win over AFC Bournemouth, though he took charge of a West Ham game little under four years earlier in the third round of the EFL Cup, also at Leicester, with the Foxes winning that one 2-1 after extra-time.
In total, Bankes has held the whistle at eleven fixtures involving in the Hammers, including Premier League draws away at Bournemouth and at home to Newcastle United last season.
This term, he was the man in the middle of our Carabao Cup second round win over Bournemouth at the end of August, when a late Jarrod Bowen strike proved the difference between the sides at London Stadium.
Away from the domestic scene, Bankes has refereed at senior international level on two occasions, and in UEFA Conference League qualifying four times.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
