Super Eagles star Ola Aina is set to miss Nottingham Forest’s Europa League clash against Aston Villa on Thursday, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Tricky Trees will be looking to book a spot in their first European final in 44 years when they take on Aston Villa in the second leg of their Europa League semifinal on Thursday.
Nottingham Forest hold a crucial advantage from the first leg, as they claimed a 1-0 win at the City Ground, courtesy of a strike from the penalty spot by Chris Wood.
Although Nottingham Forest have two Super Eagles players—Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi—on their roster, only the former featured in that game. As usual, the Arsenal-trained right-back produced a solid showing on the night.
However, it came at a cost, as he suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Zach Abbott in the 75th minute. It appeared the Super Eagles star sustained a muscle injury, but little has been said about his situation by coach Vitor Pereira.
Aina was also missing from Nottingham Forest’s matchday squad that beat Chelsea 3-1 on Monday.
Why Ola Aina Will Not Play For Nottingham Forest Against Aston Villa
Going into the second leg between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, there have been fears regarding Ola Aina’s fitness levels. On Wednesday, a crucial update on the Super Eagles star was revealed.
Sky Sports reports that the 29-year-old defender was missing from Nottingham Forest’s final training session before the Aston Villa game.
Morgan Gibbs-White not in training for Nottingham Forest ahead of tomorrow’s Europa League semi-final second leg at Aston Villa
Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangare and Dan Ndoye were also absent, but Murillo is back in training. pic.twitter.com/1kzAXiBcgV
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 6, 2026
This indicates that he will not be part of the matchday squad to face the Villans at Villa Park.
This is a significant blow for coach Pereira, as Aina has been one of the club’s best performers this season.
Nonetheless, Forest will be hoping to leave Villa Park with a positive result after 90 minutes.
