Taiwo Awoniyi: 3 decisive games Super Eagles striker will miss after Brighton red card

Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi is set to serve a three-match suspension after his straight red card for violent conduct during Coventry City’s 5-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, Afrik-Foot reports.

The 29-year-old was dismissed in the 53rd minute at the CBS Arena after catching Brighton defender Maxim De Cuyper with his elbow during an aerial challenge.

Referee Tony Harrington’s decision was upheld after a VAR review, and Awoniyi became the first Nigerian to receive a Premier League red card in the 2026/27 season.

The Premier League disciplinary process automatically triggers a three-match ban for violent-conduct dismissals.

The ban will cover the trips to Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. Here is why each fixture matters.

3 decisive games Taiwo Awoniyi will miss

1. Coventry City vs Aston Villa (Carabao Cup Round 3, Wednesday, September 17)

The first fixture in Awoniyi’s absence is Wednesday’s home Carabao Cup third-round tie against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

The stakes are significant. Coventry sit bottom of the Premier League with no points and no goals from four fixtures, and the Carabao Cup is arguably the only competition where Frank Lampard’s side can realistically target.

The specific problem for Coventry is that Awoniyi’s target-man profile is exactly what the Sky Blues need against a Villa side that is also without a league win this season.

Lampard is also without Haji Wright, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Josh Eccles and Luke Woolfenden for the fixture, leaving Coventry with a depleted attack.

Losing to Villa in the Carabao Cup would compound Coventry’s already-difficult opening month.

Awoniyi’s absence in the specific game where his aerial threat could have most disrupted Villa’s back line is arguably the most costly consequence of the Brighton red card, considering he scored in the previous round against Plymouth Argyle.

2. Coventry City vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League, Saturday September 19)

The most emotionally charged fixture in Awoniyi’s ban comes just three days later, when Coventry travel to face his former club Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

The Nigerian spent four years at Forest between 2022 and 2026, becoming a fan favourite through his Premier League-survival goals, before completing a summer 2026 move to Coventry.

The specific tactical value of the fixture for Coventry cannot be overstated. Forest sit 11th under Oliver Glasner and have already produced a 2-1 win at Aston Villa this campaign, meaning they are exactly the type of Premier League opposition Coventry need to compete with if the Sky Blues are to secure any chances of surviving in the English top-flight.

A 90-minute Awoniyi performance against his former club, driven by the specific personal motivation of returning to the City Ground in opposition colours, would have produced a spirited performance.

Frank Lampard’s side will face Forest without their marquee summer signing at the exact moment the fixture needed him most.

3. Coventry City vs Newcastle United (Premier League, October 12)

The third fixture Awoniyi will miss is Coventry’s Premier League meeting with Newcastle United.

The Magpies have opened the 2026/27 campaign with a win and two draws in four league games and remain one of the most consistent top-half Premier League sides of the current era, meaning Coventry will face a team looking to sneak into the top six at the end of the season..

Awoniyi’s Super Eagles window offers a partial rescue

The counterbalance to the three-match ban is that Awoniyi is free to join the Super Eagles for Nigeria’s September AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar on 25 September and Guinea-Bissau on 29 September.

The Premier League suspension does not cover international fixtures, meaning Eric Chelle can call the Nigerian into camp during the international break.

However, the situation is complicated. Awoniyi has not played for Nigeria since 2023 and was left out of the Unity Cup squad earlier this year, meaning his September inclusion was not guaranteed even before the Brighton dismissal.

The strikers on Chelle’s list have also been in better goal-scoring form than the former Nottingham striker.

Kelechi Iheanacho, Gift Orban, Tolu Arokodare and Rafiu Durosinmi are likely to be the leading names on the coach’s list in Osimhen’s absence, meaning a trip to Nigeria is unlikely for the 29-year-old.