Chris Sutton predicts Nottingham Forest v West Ham result, names player who will score
Chris Sutton has predicted West Ham United will lose against Nottingham Forest and is expecting “under-rated” Chris Wood to score again on Saturday (2 November).
The Hammers pulled off a dramatic 2-1 win against Manchester United at the London Stadium last weekend as Jarrod Bowen converted a controversial 92nd-minute penalty, ultimately costing Erik ten Hag his job.
However, Sutton is not convinced Julen Lopetegui has turned a corner in East London. The pundit expects high-flying Nottingham Forest to record a third consecutive win in his Premier League predictions for BBC Sport [31 October].
He said: “West Ham got a good result against Manchester United last week which will have done them a lot of good, but I still feel they were fortunate to win that game.
“I’m not talking about their late penalty that gave them victory, more the fact United should have been out of sight by half-time. So, am I convinced the Hammers have turned thing round under Julen Lopetegui? No, not at all.
“In contrast, Nottingham Forest are flying and I really like the way they are playing this season – they have a nice balance to their team.
“I was born in Nottingham and used to support Forest as a kid and, the way they are playing, I am going to go back to supporting them.
“You can call me a fair weather fan if you want, but I like forests – I am a big fan of Sherwood on iPlayer too – and I like woods too, especially Chris Wood.
“The ‘Wood-chopper’ is one of the most under-rated strikers of the Premier League era. I am backing him to score again, and Forest to win again. 2-1”.
West Ham United need to find a way to stop Chris Wood
A “scandalous” VAR call to award West Ham a penalty against Manchester United may have eased the nerves at the London Stadium for another week, but Lopetegui is kidding himself if he believes he is out of the woods.
The Spaniard cuts a nervous figure at the Irons and seemingly doesn’t trust his instincts as he reverted against his decision to axe Lucas Paqueta from the starting lineup, and the Brazilian produced yet another afternoon’s performance to forget last weekend.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo has his Nottingham Forest side on a march up the Premier League table as they sit in seventh place in the league after an unbelievable start to the season.
Wood, at 32, is in the form of his life and is currently the joint-third highest goalscorer in the league with seven goals from nine outings.
If Lopetegui stands any chance of returning to East London with consecutive victories for the first time in his tenure, he must find a way to neutralise the New Zealand international this weekend.
The Hammers have conceded 16 goals and only kept a clean sheet once thus far, coming in the 2-0 win against Crystal Palace, so the emergence of Jean-Clair Todibo will prove vital in keeping Wood at bay.
Lopetegui has recognised the quality of Todibo and named him as one of his most important players at West Ham – his partnership alongside Max Kilman is the direction the Spaniard prefers in central defence and will be tasked with helping the Irons claim a momentum-boosting victory.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have found a January transfer replacement for Danny Ings.
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