Nottingham Forest are 90 minutes from a European final. Ola Aina desperately wants to be part of it. Whether his body lets him is the question hanging over Forest’s preparations ahead of Thursday’s trip to Villa Park.
Ola Aina sustained a knock during Nottingham Forest’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Aston Villa at the City Ground last week. He missed the 3-1 Premier League win over Chelsea on Monday. Now, with the second leg at Villa Park on Thursday evening, Vitor Pereira is waiting to see if his first-choice right back can make it.
According to Forest’s official website, Pereira confirmed that Aina told him personally he would be ready to play. But the manager was cautious, describing a squad beset by doubt heading into the biggest game of their season.
What Pereira Said
“We have a lot of doubts with players but we cannot have doubts around the spirit and what we want and our belief. We will have a meeting to the army and what soldiers we have to go into battle.”
The military language is a Pereira trademark. The message underneath it is clear: Forest are short of bodies, but they are not short of belief. Aina’s situation will be resolved after a late fitness test on Thursday, with his inclusion depending on how the knock responds to final training ahead of the 8pm kickoff.
An Injury Crisis at the Worst Possible Moment
Aina is far from the only concern. Forest head to Villa Park with a squad stretched to its limits after the physical demands of a season that has included relegation battles, Premier League commitments, and a European run that has reached the final four.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Forest’s captain and creative fulcrum, is also a major doubt. He sustained a deep head cut after colliding with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez during Monday’s win at Stamford Bridge, lasting just 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute. Pereira is hopeful he will be available but confirmed nothing. Fans following Forest’s progress through the injury crisis can check the Bet9ja promo code before Thursday’s 8pm kickoff at Villa Park.
Forest Injury List Heading Into Villa Park
- Ola Aina (knock): doubtful, late fitness test
- Morgan Gibbs-White (head cut): doubtful, late fitness test
- Murillo (muscle): doubtful
- Ibrahim Sangare (physical discomfort): doubtful
- Dan Ndoye (physical discomfort): doubtful
- Callum Hudson-Odoi (thigh): ruled out for season
- Nicolo Savona (knee): ruled out for season
- Willy Boly (knee): ruled out for season
- John Victor (knee): ruled out for season
- Taiwo Awoniyi: not registered in UEFA squad, ineligible
The Awoniyi Absence Nobody Expected
Perhaps the most surprising name on the unavailable list is Taiwo Awoniyi. The Super Eagles striker scored a brace in the 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday, his first start of the Premier League season. But Awoniyi was not registered in Forest’s UEFA Europa League squad and is ineligible to feature at Villa Park on Thursday.
Forest’s all-time leading scorer Chris Wood will lead the attack instead, with Igor Jesus operating alongside or behind him. Wood, who scored the first-leg penalty that gave Forest their 1-0 advantage, has scored twice in his last three appearances following his return from a long injury. He arrives at Villa Park in form and with the weight of the tie on his shoulders. Fans who want to stake on the second leg can find their best odds at bet9japromotioncode.com.ng ahead of kickoff.
What Forest and Villa Must Do
Forest arrive at Villa Park protecting a 1-0 lead, unbeaten in their last 10 matches across all competitions. Their task is to remain compact, absorb pressure, and threaten on the counter. With or without Aina, Neco Williams is ready to cover at right back.
Aston Villa have not been in a European final since 1982, when they defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 to win the European Cup. Forty-four years later, they need to overturn a one-goal deficit in front of their own supporters to reach the Europa League final. Unai Emery’s side are unbeaten in their last 10 home games against Forest and come into this fixture having rested key players at the weekend, even if a 2-1 loss to Tottenham was not the ideal preparation. The stakes could not be higher for both clubs, and the absence of so many Nigerian internationals from the Forest squad only adds to the intrigue around who steps up when it matters most. Those backing either side in Thursday’s decider can get started with this Bet9ja promo code today page before the game begins.
📌 Did You Know?
- Ola Aina began his career at Chelsea’s academy, joining the club as a young teenager from Southwark. He made his Chelsea first-team debut in the League Cup in 2016 but struggled to break into the senior squad regularly, leading to loan moves to Hull City and Fulham before a permanent departure. He went on to represent Torino and Fulham in senior football before joining Nottingham Forest.
- Aston Villa’s last appearance in a European final was in May 1982, when they defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the European Cup final in Rotterdam, Peter Withe scoring the only goal. That remains the greatest night in the club’s history. Should they reach the 2026 Europa League final, it would be their first European final in 44 years.
- Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 first-leg lead was secured by a Chris Wood penalty. Wood, who joined Forest from Newcastle United in January 2022, is the club’s all-time leading Premier League scorer and has been one of the most consistent strikers in English top-flight football over the past five seasons despite often being overlooked in wider national conversations.
- Taiwo Awoniyi, who scored twice against Chelsea but cannot feature at Villa Park due to his absence from Forest’s UEFA Europa League squad, joined Nottingham Forest from Union Berlin in 2022 for a then-club record fee of approximately €20.5 million. He has twice been saved from season-ending injury setbacks during his time at the club, including the serious abdominal surgery he underwent in 2025.
- Aston Villa have not lost to Nottingham Forest at Villa Park in any competition since October 1994, a run of 10 consecutive home meetings without defeat spanning 32 years. That record covers Premier League matches, cup ties, and now European football, and represents a remarkable home dominance over their opponents ahead of Thursday’s match.
- Nottingham Forest’s Europa League campaign in 2025/26 represents their deepest run in European competition since their back-to-back European Cup victories in 1979 and 1980. Those titles, won under Brian Clough, remain the most dramatic achievements in the club’s history and the reason their return to continental football this season carries such emotional weight for their supporters.
- Vitor Pereira, the Forest manager whose team selection on Thursday will determine whether Aina plays, previously managed Porto, Olympiacos, Fenerbahce, Al Ahli, and several other clubs across Europe and the Middle East before taking over at the City Ground. His military-style motivation speeches have become a notable feature of his press conferences this season, with Thursday’s “soldiers going into battle” reference a continuation of a theme he has used throughout the Europa League campaign.
