Nottingham Forest vs West Ham: Preview, Head-to-Head, Kick-off Time, Possible Lineups

Nottingham Forest will host West Ham United at the City Ground in Nottingham for their Premier League Round 3 fixture on August 31, 2025, at 4pm East African Time.

The match will be officiated by experienced referee Craig Pawson as both teams look to build momentum in the early stages of the 2025/2026 Premier League campaign.

This encounter represents an important opportunity for both sides to establish their footing in the new season, with the hosts looking to maintain their positive start while the visitors desperately search for their first points.

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Nottingham Forest have made a promising start to the Premier League season, currently sitting in 5th position with four points from their opening two matches.

Their tally of four goals scored against just two conceded demonstrates a well-balanced team that has shown both attacking prowess and defensive stability in the early fixtures.

In stark contrast, West Ham United find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table in 20th place, having lost both of their opening matches.

The Hammers have struggled significantly at both ends of the pitch, scoring just once while conceding eight goals. This match represents a critical opportunity for West Ham to kickstart their season, while Forest will view it as a chance to solidify their position in the upper echelons of the table.

Nottingham Forest enter this fixture with an unbeaten record in their Premier League campaign, having drawn 1-1 with Crystal Palace and secured an impressive 3-1 victory over Brentford.

Their pre-season form was somewhat mixed, with two goalless draws against Al Qadasiya and Fiorentina , plus a narrow 1-0 defeat to Birmingham.

West Ham, meanwhile, are enduring a torrid start to the season, suffering a 3-2 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup following Premier League losses to Chelsea 5-1 and Sunderland 3-0 on 16th August.

Their only recent positive result came in pre-season with a 2-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth , while they also managed a 1-1 draw with Lille. Forest's 5th place position contrasts sharply with West Ham's 20th, making this a crucial encounter for both teams.

Nottingham Forest have enjoyed recent dominance in this fixture, winning three of the last five meetings against West Ham United. Their most recent encounter saw Forest secure a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium , with Morgan Gibbs-White (11') and Nikola Milenkovic (61') scoring for the visitors before Jarrod Bowen (86') pulled one back for the Hammers.

Forest were even more dominant in the previous two meetings at the City Ground, winning 3-0 with goals from Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Ola Aina, and 2-0 thanks to strikes from Taiwo Awoniyi and Hudson-Odoi.

West Ham's last victory in this fixture came at the London Stadium in a thrilling 3-2 contest, where Lucas Paquetá, Jarrod Bowen, and Tomas Soucek outscored Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga. The Hammers also recorded an emphatic 4-0 home win earlier that year (on 25.02.2023).

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

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