Forest’s new-look squad fought hard on their opening weekend trip to Newcastle, but they ultimately came up short. More signings are on the way, though Steve Cooper has to hope his team can settle in quickly.
West Ham were played off the pitch by Manchester City, and will see Sunday as the real start of their season.
David Moyes’ side are favourites for their trip to the East Midlands.
Winner: West Ham
West Ham generally excelled when favoured last season. They took 12 points from 18 available against newly promoted teams in 2021-22, with all of their dropped points coming from their fixtures with Brentford.
Prior to a late season slump when European football was taking priority, the Hammers had a strong record on the road too, claiming 20 points from their first 11 away matches.
Forest are very much a work in progress, while West Ham are clear on their roles and gameplan for matches like this. This is a good price on an away win.
Total Cards: Under 2.5
Rob Jones is the lead official for Sunday’s match. Of 22 Premier League referees last term, only four handed out fewer yellow cards per game than Jones. He was also around average in fouls per match at 20.58.
Even with under 25 per cent possession against Manchester City, West Ham didn’t receive a yellow card. The Hammers also saw their opponents booked just 49 times in the league in 2021-22 (the third-lowest tally).
Last Goalscorer: Gianluca Scamacca
Moyes handed Gianluca Scamacca his debut off the bench last Sunday. Michail Antonio is expected to lead the line from the start again, limiting the new signing to a substitute role.
Scamacca is either going to be coming on when West Ham are chasing a goal or he will have acres of space to attack Forest on the break as they push for an equaliser.
Instead of backing Scamacca to score anytime, the last goalscorer market is a good way to access some longer odds.
All odds are subject to change