West Ham Relegation Fears Rise As Nuno Espirito Santo Focuses On Forest Clash

West Ham face Nottingham Forest in a major Premier League relegation clash, with both clubs under pressure. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sit four points behind Forest before Tuesday’s match, and Opta’s model now gives West Ham a 76.6% chance of going down this season.

Speculation around Nuno’s position has increased after a 3-0 defeat to Wolves, yet reports that another setback could end his short spell are being brushed aside. Nuno says concern inside West Ham is real, but insists personal uncertainty will not distract preparation.

The loss at Molineux was especially damaging because Wolves had not won any of their first 19 league games. That heavy reverse also followed West Ham’s 3-0 victory over Forest in August, when Nuno was in charge of Forest for

the first meeting.

Only once before has a manager lost both Premier League fixtures in one season while leading different clubs in the same matchup. That was Harry Redknapp with Portsmouth and Southampton in 2004-05. Nuno now tries to avoid matching that unwanted statistic against another former side.

Opta’s win probability model still gives West Ham a slight edge for this game, but margins are tight. Forest retain a smaller overall relegation risk at 22.3%, reflecting their current position in 17th place, but recent results have also dragged Sean Dyche’s team towards danger.

Team	Win probability	Relegation chance
West Ham	39.1%	76.6%
Nottingham Forest	34.4%	22.3%
Draw	26.5%	-

Both teams arrive in poor form. West Ham have gone nine league matches without a victory, drawing four and losing five, their worst sequence since an 11-game drought between December 2006 and March 2007. Forest, meanwhile, have lost four consecutive Premier League fixtures.

Nuno stressed that his main duty remains improving performances, not debating his job security. "I've been around a long time, and my focus is not on speculation. No, no, no," Nuno told reporters when asked about his future. "How can I help my players? How can I make them better? How can we solve and improve the situation at West Ham?

"We have to apologise to the fans. They know we need them. But it's not the moment to ask. We are worried and we are concerned, but it's a good thing we have a game tomorrow to put things better. We have to perform better, make better decisions, put in more effort. Everything has to be at our maximum. That's the good part in football; it always gives you a chance. "

2 - In the last two seasons, the only two times that the team in 20th position have led by 3+ goals in a Premier League match have both been against Nuno Esprito Santo.Nott'm Forest 0-3 West Ham (Aug 2025)Wolves 3-0 West Ham (Jan 2026)Painful. pic.twitter.com/jYT7KYEhTk

OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2026

Nuno’s recent results include being on the wrong side of two 3-0 scorelines while managing different clubs. In both cases, the team starting bottom of the table scored three times without reply, highlighting a pattern that adds more scrutiny before facing Forest again.

Dyche has also seen an initial bounce fade after a difficult festive schedule, and defensive issues persist. "I'm not bothered about whether it's my team in that respect or not, but it's fair to say my teams have been pretty firm and organised," Dyche said. "That's something we put in place and it needs constant correction because we've made a few mistakes, which we have been punished for. "

West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Premier League relegation key players

Creativity from Mateus Fernandes could be vital for West Ham in breaking Forest down. Fernandes has produced 20 open-play chances in the league this season, the most by any West Ham player, and also stood out against Wolves as the only teammate to create more than one chance.

West Ham player	Open-play chances created	Passes into final third
Lucas Paqueta	-	199
Mateus Fernandes	20	149

Fernandes also ranks second in West Ham’s squad for successful passes into the final third with 149, behind Lucas Paqueta on 199. That distribution could be essential for feeding the attack in a match where anxiety levels and margins are likely to be very fine.

For Forest, Morgan Gibbs-White remains central to most attacking moves. Gibbs-White scored in the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa, taking the tally to 50 Premier League goal involvements, with 22 goals and 28 assists. Gibbs-White also ranks high this campaign for creativity and progression.

Forest player	Chances created	Passes into final third
Elliot Anderson	30	335
Morgan Gibbs-White	23	267

West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Premier League relegation prediction and trends

Historical trends suggest a tense contest. Forest have alternated between winning and not winning in their last six Tuesday league fixtures, with three victories, one draw and two defeats. The most recent Tuesday outing brought a 2-0 home defeat against Everton.

Next up, a trip to the capital. pic.twitter.com/Lkq3bNsqFu

Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 5, 2026

Analysts lean towards a draw, given the weaknesses on both sides. West Ham failed to register a shot on target against Wolves, the third time this has occurred in the league this season, after similar blanks versus Arsenal and Liverpool, a figure matched only by Burnley.

Forest’s four-game losing run, West Ham’s extended winless streak and the narrow Opta win probabilities underline how finely balanced this meeting is. With relegation odds already severe for West Ham and pressure also rising on Forest, Tuesday’s match carries serious consequences for both managers and squads.