Nottingham Forest provide fresh update on Super Eagles star ahead of Villa clash

Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira has shared the latest update on the fitness of Super Eagles defender Ola Aina ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semifinal clash against Aston Villa, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Tricky Trees travel to Villa Park to face their English rivals in the crucial second leg encounter, with a slender one-goal advantage from last week’s first leg. New Zealand forward Chris Wood scored the only goal of that encounter from the penalty spot after Lucas Digne had handled the ball inside the area.

Aina featured in that first-leg tie at the City Ground but was forced off in the 75th minute due to injury, with Zack Abbott coming on as his replacement for the final minutes of the encounter.

The 29-year-old also missed Forest’s impressive 3-1 Premier League victory over Chelsea on Monday which moved them six points clear of the drop zone, with compatriot Taiwo Awoniyi scoring twice in a standout performance to guide the team to victory.

Vitor Pereira hopeful of Ola Aina’s return for Nottingham Forest UEL clash

Nigerian defender Ola Aina has made 28 appearances across all competitions for Nottingham Forest this season after recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him earlier in the campaign. The 29-year-old also played a key role in both legs of their quarter-final win over Portuguese side FC Porto.

However, Pereira remains hopeful that the Nigerian defender, along with other members of the squad who missed the win over Chelsea, would return in time for Thursday’s decisive matchup.

“We have a lot of doubts with players but we cannot have doubts around the spirit and what we want and our belief”, the former Wolves head coach said, via the club’s official website.

“We will have a meeting to the army and what soldiers we have to go into battle.”

Nottingham Forest will be eager to have Aina available ahead of their crucial decider against Aston Villa, given his importance to the team.

The Tricky Trees head into the clash aiming to reach their first European final in 46 years, while they also continue the pursuit of their first major trophy since winning the League Cup in 1990.