Darren Bent piles the pressure on Nottingham Forest with shock West Ham claim

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Nottingham Forest’s Champions League hopes face three difficult tests, and Darren Bent believes one game in particular could be a potential banana skin.

The City Ground outfit’s patchy form has cost them of late, with only one win in their last five Premier League games.

That disappointing run of results has now left many doubting Forest’s Champions League chances, with only three games to go.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
3	Man CityManchester City	35	19	7	9	67	43	24	64
4	NewcastleNewcastle	35	19	6	10	66	45	21	63
5	ChelseaChelsea	35	18	9	8	62	41	21	63
6	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	35	18	7	10	54	42	12	61
7	Aston VillaAston Villa	35	17	9	9	55	49	6	60
8	B’mouthBournemouth	35	14	11	10	55	42	13	53

But with Forest’s European rivals expected to drop points during the run-in, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will need to take advantage of any potential slip-up.

The Reds do have one of the more favourable run-ins, facing off against Leicester, West Ham and Chelsea, with many seeing the Blues clash as a potential European decider on the final day.

With much of the attention aimed at Chelsea’s visit to the City Ground, Darren Bent has warned Forest not to take their eye off their ball in their other ‘difficult’ game.

• READ MORE: Michael Dawson predicts whether Nottingham Forest will qualify for the Champions League after 1-1 draw

Darren Bent claims West Ham clash will be difficult for Nottingham Forest

Despite it being an East Midlands derby, Forest will still fancy their chances at home against the already relegated Leicester City.

Having avoided the drop, West Ham also have nothing to play for, but Bent believes that could end up being costly for the Tricky Trees.

Whilst featuring on TalkSport, the former Premier League striker claimed that West Ham’s ‘slippers on’ mentality could actually cause problems for Nuno’s side.

“You know what, Ade, you know West Ham and you say they have got their slippers on, sometimes there are the worst times to play teams because it’s a free hit.

“They have the freedom to think they have had a poor season, but still go out there and enjoy their football. They have the likes of Kudus, Bowen, those types of guys. All of a sudden, you go there and get beat. It’s gonna be difficult.”

Forest’s record vs West Ham will worry fans

With so much riding on their final three games, Forest supporters will be wary of facing any opposition in during the run-in.

Those nerves will only increase when fans take a look at Forest’s worrying past record against the Hammers.

That is because the Tricky Trees have not won away at West Ham since 1997, suffering defeat in their last five visits.

Forest can be positive in the fact that they have beaten the Hammers in their last two meetings at home, but travelling to the London Stadium could bring back bad memories for the Reds.