**West Ham United travel to City Ground on Sunday afternoon for a crucial Premier League contest against Nottingham Forest**
Hammers manager Graham Potter is under immense pressure after a dreadful start to the season.
West Ham have lost all of their opening three games of the season, including a 3-2 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers that sent them packing from the EFL Cup in the second round.
Potter needs a positive result against Forest to ease the pressure, but West Ham’s record at City Ground offers little confidence heading into the crunch contest.
Potter is expected to make a few changes to the line-up that was gobbled up by Wolves.
Mads Hermansen should reclaim his spot between the sticks from Alphonse Areola, with Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and Nayef Aguerd lining up ahead of him.
Potter could shake things up in the middle of the park with [West Ham’s latest addition, Mateus Fernandes](https://westhamblog.co.uk/posts/west-ham-agree-deal-to-sign-mateus-fernandes-from-southampton/), in line to make his full debut.
The 21-year-old was unveiled as a West Ham player on Friday morning after becoming the club’s third-most expensive signing of all time following his £42 million move.
Fernandes was registered just in time to feature against Forest, and he could slot straight into the line-up.
Potter needs more midfield reinforcement, but should stick with a pivot of Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse in the middle of the park.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf will provide width on either flank.
Lucas Paqueta’s future at West Ham is up in the air, with Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa registering interest in the midfielder over the past few days.
He was expected to sit out the coming clash, but he could yet be named in the starting line-up alongside Fernandes as Potter’s attacking 10s.
Niclas Fullkrug could drop to the bench with club captain Jarrod Bowen tasked with leading the line.
**Predicted XI;**
**(3-4-2-1):** Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Diouf; Paqueta, Fernandes; Bowen.