Nottingham Forest vs Coventry: Awoniyi misses Aina reunion – Preview, team news, h2h

Taiwo Awoniyi will not get the reunion he might have wanted when Coventry City travel to the City Ground on Saturday, September 19, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Super Eagles striker is suspended for Coventry’s Premier League trip to Nottingham after picking up a straight red card against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out.

Awoniyi left Forest in the summer to a guard of honour from his old teammates, and instead of facing them, he will serve the second match of a three-match ban from the stands.

Fellow Nigeria international Ola Aina is expected to start for Forest at right back, while Super Eagles midfielder Frank Onyeka should feature for Coventry despite a wrist knock, so this fixture still carries a strong Nigerian flavour even without Awoniyi involved.

Beyond the individual stories, Nottingham Forest go into the match unbeaten in three matches, while Coventry are still searching for their first point and first goal since returning to the top flight.

Match radar: Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City

Match Radar: Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City
Competition	Premier League, Matchweek 5
Date	Saturday, September 19, 2026
Venue	The City Ground, Nottingham
Referee	Jarred Gillett
Forest form	L D D W
Coventry form	L L L L
League position	Forest 11th (five points) • Coventry 20th (zero points)

Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City: Form and season context

Oliver Glasner’s side have not lost since the opening weekend of the season, when Leeds United won 1-0 at the City Ground.

Forest followed that with a 2-2 draw at Liverpool, a goalless draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur, and then a 2-1 win at Aston Villa, a result that ended a 32-year wait for Forest to win away at Villa Park.

That unbeaten run has come while missing key defensive personnel, with Nicolò Savona ruled out by a knee injury and both Jair Cunha and Nikola Milenković doubtful with thigh problems.

At the City Ground itself, Forest have taken only one point from two matches this season, a defeat to Leeds followed by the draw with Tottenham.

Coventry’s return to the Premier League after 25 years has gone about as badly as it could have.

Frank Lampard’s side have lost all four of their opening matches, conceding 10 goals and scoring none, and sit bottom of the table without a point.

That run includes a 5-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion last time out, a game in which Coventry actually had 21 shots in the first half alone without finding a way past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Awoniyi was sent off in that match for a challenge on Maxim De Cuyper, adding a suspension to an injury list that already included Luke Woolfenden, Josh Eccles, Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Haji Wright.

Coventry, playing in the Premier League for the first time since 2001, are yet to open their account in the competition this time round.

They became only the second club in Premier League history, after Crystal Palace in 2017, to lose their opening four matches without scoring a goal.

Wednesday brought a fifth defeat in all competitions, a 3-1 loss to fellow Midlands side Aston Villa in the EFL Cup third round.

Head-to-head: Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City

There is no reverse fixture to draw on this season, since Coventry’s promotion means this is the first time the two clubs have met in the Premier League this term.

The two sides do have recent history from their days together in the Championship, though.

Forest have won four of the last five competitive meetings between them.

That run includes a 2-0 win at the City Ground in April 2022, the most recent competitive meeting before this weekend, plus a 2-1 away win at Coventry in February 2021 and a 2-1 home win in November 2020.

Coventry’s only win across that spell came 2-1 at their own ground in August 2021.

Going back further, Forest also won 2-0 at home in a Championship meeting in February 2012.

The all-time head-to-head record stretches back to 1910, and Forest hold a clear historical edge with 48 wins to Coventry’s low twenties and 28 draws (the exact Coventry win tally varies slightly between sources and is worth a final check before publication).

The only meeting between the clubs since that April 2022 game was a pre-season friendly in July 2022, won 3-1 by Coventry, though that carries no competitive weight.

Team news and predicted XI

Forest’s defensive options remain stretched, with Savona, Cunha and Milenković all unavailable or in serious doubt, leaving Ola Aina, Ousmane Diomande and Murillo as the likely back three.

'This guy has given me acrylic!' 🤣

Bamboozling the lads on media day. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/1g6nf8NHEV

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) September 16, 2026

Daniel Muñoz, a summer signing from Crystal Palace, started the win at Aston Villa and should continue at wing back.

Ryan Yates is also a doubt through a lack of match fitness, though his absence is unlikely to disrupt Xaver Schlager and James McAtee in central midfield.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Dan Ndoye have combined well behind central striker Liam Delap in recent weeks, and all three should keep their places.

Coventry’s team news is dominated by Awoniyi’s suspension, which also rules him out of trips to face Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur next month.

Woolfenden, Eccles and Kesler-Hayden remain out injured, as does striker Haji Wright, while Aurèle Amenda and Ellis Simms are doubts.

Onyeka is expected to start despite his wrist knock, having played through the issue in both of Coventry’s last two matches.

With Awoniyi absent, teenage forward Sidiki Cherif looks the likeliest replacement as the focal point of attack, supported by Jack Rudoni and Loum Tchaouna.

Star player comparison: Morgan Gibbs-White vs Jack Rudoni

Morgan Gibbs-White and Jack Rudoni have been the standout creative forces for their respective sides this season, and both have created exactly eight chances, more than anyone else at their club.

Star Player Comparison
Morgan Gibbs-White	Stat	Jack Rudoni
One	Goals	Zero
Two	Assists	Zero
Eight	Chances created	Eight
360	Minutes played	227

The managers: Oliver Glasner vs Frank Lampard

Oliver Glasner, aged 51, took charge of Forest in the summer, becoming the club’s fifth permanent head coach in just over a year.

The Austrian previously managed Crystal Palace, leading the club to Europa Conference League and FA Cup success in 2025 before making the move to the City Ground.

His Forest record so far reads one win from four matches, a quieter start than his Palace achievements suggested.

Frank Lampard, aged 48, has been in charge at Coventry since November 2024 and signed a new contract until 2029 in June this year.

The former Chelsea, Everton and Derby County manager guided Coventry to the Championship title last season, securing a first top-flight return in 25 years.

That success has not carried over into the Premier League, where Lampard is yet to win any of his four matches in the competition with Coventry.

There is no previous head-to-head meeting between Glasner and Lampard to draw on.

Tactical preview

Both managers set up in a back three, which should make this a genuine shape-versus-shape contest rather than one side simply overloading a full back.

Forest’s back three of Aina, Diomande and Murillo is patched together by injury, and Coventry’s willingness to commit numbers forward, shown by those 21 first-half shots against Brighton, could test that makeshift unit.

Wing backs Daniel Muñoz and Neco Williams give Forest width and a quick outlet in transition, which suits Glasner’s preference for direct counter-attacking play.

Coventry’s own back three, built around the converted right back Bobby Thomas, has been Coventry’s most consistent unit this season even as the goals have dried up at the other end.

Without Awoniyi to hold the ball up, Coventry’s front line loses its physical presence, and a young forward such as Cherif is unlikely to offer the same out-ball, which should let Forest’s midfield pair of Schlager and McAtee dictate the tempo.

If Forest can win that midfield battle, Gibbs-White and Ndoye should find room to combine with Delap, much as they did during the win at Villa Park.

Betting tips for Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City

Score prediction

Forest’s patched-up defence and Coventry’s ongoing goal drought point to a tight game rather than a rout.

Nottingham Forest are backed to win 2-1, with Liam Delap and Morgan Gibbs-White on the scoresheet for the hosts and Jack Rudoni or Loum Tchaouna grabbing a consolation for Coventry.

Final Score Prediction

Nottingham Forest 2-1 Coventry City

Likely Forest scorers: Liam Delap, Morgan Gibbs-White

Likely Coventry scorer: Jack Rudoni or Loum Tchaouna