Nottingham Forest handed major advantage over West Ham before Sunday’s clash

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Nottingham Forest head into Sunday’s clash with West Ham on the back of a positive week, but the mood at the London Stadium couldn’t be more contrasting.

Three consecutive defeats have left the Hammers towards the foot of the Premier League table, but West Ham have signed Mateus Fernandes ahead of Sunday to boost their midfield options.

Irrespective of Fernandes’ arrival, Paul Merson is expecting a comfortable Forest win as the Reds look to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

In the buildup to Sunday, Forest learned their Europa League opponents, but the news from the West Ham camp has been wholly negative despite the arrival of Fernandes.

West Ham could be without Lucas Paqueta on Sunday

The move to sign Fernandes emphasised Graham Potter’s desperation to improve West Ham’s midfield, currently occupied by former Forest loanee James Ward-Prowse.

However, the Hammers have struggled in the attacking area too, with only one goal in their two Premier League games. The scorer of that goal was Lucas Paqueta, but the Brazilian star may not make the journey up to the City Ground.

According to The Athletic, Aston Villa have shown interest in signing the attacking midfielder, with these transfer rumours clearly impacting Paqueta, as he is reportedly unlikely to play a part in the clash with Forest.

Clearly a blow given his importance to the Hammers’ attacking output, Paqueta’s absence could mean that Potter is forced to throw Fernandes straight in, a potential problem for Nuno Espírito Santo given how well he played against Forest for Southampton last season.

Nottingham Forest will be aware of Mateus Fernandes’ strengths

Before completing his move to the Hammers, Forest were keen on signing Fernandes to bolster Espírito Santo’s midfield at a time when securing Douglas Luiz was proving difficult.

The Portuguese midfielder was part of a Southampton side that struggled to make the step up into the Premier League, but a number of impressive displays saw him earn another chance in the top flight.

One of those displays came against Forest back in January in a 3-2 victory for the Reds, where Fernandes was the only creative spark for Southampton.

He grabbed an assist and created numerous other chances for his teammates, including seven accurate crosses into the Reds’ box.

Therefore, if Paqueta is to miss the match on Sunday, Fernandes could be a dangerous proposition for Forest to deal with as their visitors look to get off the mark in the 25/26 season.