Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has addressed the readiness of Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina as his side prepares to host Crystal Palace in a Premier League fixture at the City Ground on Monday.
Awoniyi and Aina were part of the Super Eagles team set to face the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in the reverse fixture of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers on Tuesday, October 15, following Nigeria's victory in the first leg in Uyo.
Originally slated to land in Benghazi, where the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had arranged transportation and accommodation, the Super Eagles' chartered flight was unexpectedly redirected to Al Abraq, a remote city located over 200 miles away.
Upon arrival, chaos ensued as the Libyan Football Federation did not provide transportation, food, or any communication regarding the team's next steps.
Nigeria captain, William Troost-Ekong, took to the social media platform X to share details of the ordeal, which extended for over 20 hours. In response to the situation, Nigeria made the decision to boycott the match and return directly to Nigeria without participating in any play.
Nuno believes both Aina and Awoniyi are in good spirits despite their ordeal on international duty, however, and expects to have both available for the Monday clash.
Santo reflects on Awoniyi and Aina's readiness and resilience
Speaking to the press ahead of Monday's game, Santo addressed the recent incident involving Awoniyi and Aina.
“As soon as it happened, the club reached them and tried to see what was going on. It was a mess. They arrived a couple of days ago and are working normally. They have overcome that. It was an incident and it’s not more important than that,” he said during his press conference.
Aina has made seven Premier League appearances for Nottingham Forest, starting each match and averaging 85 minutes of play per game. In contrast, Taiwo Awoniyi has participated in four matches, starting one and averaging 22 minutes per game.
Nottingham Forest currently sits in 12th place in the Premier League table, having accumulated 10 points from seven matches. Their record includes two wins, four draws, and one loss.
