By Conor Hogan

West Ham play Nottingham Forest in a crucial clash at London Stadium tonight, but who will start up front?

The Hammers simply must claim three points against Sean Dyche’s team if they are to maintain any hope of Premier League survival this season.

Interestingly, Nuno Espírito Santo has two new strikers at his disposal: Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, who have both recently signed for the Irons in the January transfer window.

Pablo was in the squad for West Ham’s 3-0 humiliation at Wolves on Saturday, but he is yet to feature for the Irons. The 22-year-old reportedly had a niggle and was not used in place of Callum Wilson.

Taty Castellanos officially put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half year contract at London Stadium yesterday to secure his €29 million move from Lazio, and could feature against Forest tonight.

Both players have trained with the first-team since arriving, although Pablo Felipe has spent more time with the squad than his fellow striker.

However, I believe that Castellanos should be the one to start tonight. The Hammers have become predictable in attack and need a fresh change up front. 

The Argentine is clearly the bigger gamble out of the pair of new signings. Five years Pablo’s elder and brought in for bigger money, there is much more pressure on Castellanos to succeed compared to the Brazilian striker.

For that reason, the former Lazio man should start. He needs to adapt to Premier League football instantly, and in a big game against a close relegation rival, Nuno may find out whether he is up to the task.

Lazio fans seemed more than satisfied with the fee they got for their striker, labelling Taty as “inconsistent” and “underwhelming”. Tonight is the Argentine’s opportunity to prove he was worth acquiring.

If Taty starts, Pablo should be waiting in the wings to replace him. Like Castellanos, the Brazilian striker will pose a new challenge for Dyche’s side, who are keenly aware of Callum Wilson’s threat.

Tonight is a huge game for the club. No matter who Nuno starts up front, let’s hope that they deliver