Mansion Sports – The Premier League 2025/2026 will present an exciting fixture as West Ham United host Nottingham Forest in the Matchday 21 encounter.

This match is scheduled to take place at the London Stadium on Tuesday, 06 January 2026 at 20:00 local time.

This match will also serve as a reunion opportunity for Nottingham Forest, who will attempt to present a reunion gift to their former manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, who is now in charge of West Ham United.

Before the match kicks off, take a look at Mansion Sports’ prediction for the West Ham vs Nottingham Forest January 2026 lineups below.

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

West Ham United

At risk of suffering two consecutive humiliating defeats against his former clubs, ex-Wolves and Forest manager Santo could potentially receive a dismissal notice after this match if the relegation battle goes as poorly as his visit to Molineux.

Facing Wolves, who had collected only three points all season, the former Conference League champions delivered a dreadful performance.

Santo could only describe his team’s display as “embarrassing” after West Ham were thrashed 3-0 by Wolves, inspired by Mateus Mane.

Amid reports that former West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has opened the door to a return to the London Stadium, Santo’s position has temporarily survived. However, the statistics are firmly against the Portuguese coach.

The hosts, currently in 18th place, will remain in the relegation zone regardless of this week’s result.

They have now gone nine Premier League matches without a win since defeating Burnley in November, and have lost four of their last five matches.

Furthermore, no other manager in the league has a longer run without a clean sheet than Santo, with 26 matches.

West Ham are also still waiting for their first home clean sheet of the season, having conceded a total of 23 goals at the London Stadium.

Nottingham Forest

Forest’s situation may not be as severe as that of the hosts, but after Sean Dyche briefly stabilized the team at the City Ground, the Garibaldi have now suffered four consecutive defeats during a tense holiday period.

The visitors ended 2025 with three straight losses against Fulham, Manchester City, and Everton.

As expected, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa were also far superior at Villa Park in the Saturday lunchtime fixture.

A powerful strike from Ollie Watkins and two goals from John McGinn, partially aided by a blunder from John Victor who abandoned his position, secured a convincing 3-1 victory for Villa over the Tricky Trees. Nevertheless, Dyche’s side will not drop into the bottom three in Matchday 21.

However, Nottingham Forest have now recorded their longest losing streak of the season and could suffer four consecutive away defeats.

They have also failed to score in five away Premier League matches during the 2025/2026 season.

The Tricky Trees were humiliated 3-0 at home by West Ham in August when Santo was still managing Forest.

Even so, Forest had previously won three consecutive meetings against West Ham, including a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium in May.

West Ham vs Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineups – January 2026

West Ham United (4-2-3-1)

West Ham left Molineux with their confidence shattered, but at least there were no new injury concerns.

New striker Pablo Felipe has also been included on the bench after joining from Gil Vicente.

However, Lucas Paqueta, who is struggling with a back problem, and Jean-Clair Todibo, who has a groin injury, were not involved, meaning both players’ conditions must be monitored ahead of Tuesday’s match.

Meanwhile, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka remain on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Two midfield starters, Soungoutou Magassa and Freddie Potts, were substituted at halftime against Wolves.

As a result, Tomas Soucek is almost certain to replace at least one of them following their poor performances in that match.

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)

In the Forest camp, a truly miserable day was endured by their new first-choice goalkeeper, Victor. The Brazilian shot-stopper was forced off the pitch in tears with a suspected calf injury after his mistake on McGinn’s second goal, although Dyche has not yet confirmed the severity.

Nevertheless, Matz Sels is almost certain to return between the posts for Tuesday’s match.

Meanwhile, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who suffered a knock, and Dan Ndoye, who has a calf issue, remain doubtful.

Chris Wood, Ryan Yates, and Willy Boly are confirmed absentees, as is Ibrahim Sangare, who is on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Arnaud Kalimuendo will also not be involved as he is close to completing a move to Eintracht Frankfurt.

With immense pressure on West Ham and a negative trend also overshadowing Nottingham Forest, this match is certain to be tight and full of drama.

The predicted lineups for West Ham vs Nottingham Forest January 2026 provide an early picture of how both managers are expected to set up their strategies.

It will be interesting to see who can respond and emerge victorious in this crucial Premier League clash.