Three Super Eagles stars face similar assignments in European football this weekend, with Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke targeting a LaLiga upset against Real Madrid in Seville, while Taiwo Awoniyi prepares to face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League, with Ola Aina ruled out through injury.
Adams and Ejuke go into Sunday’s LaLiga clash at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán as Sevilla look to claim another scalp in what has been a dramatic run of form under head coach Luis García.
The Andalusian side have won four of their last six league games since García’s appointment in March, climbing to 12th and moving four points clear of the relegation zone with two matches remaining. Their victims include Atlético Madrid, Real Sociedad, Espanyol and Villarreal, with Adams central to that revival.
The 26-year-old Nigerian currently leads Sevilla’s LaLiga scoring charts with 10 goals and three assists in 25 appearances, averaging a goal every 195 minutes and maintaining a shooting accuracy of 50 per cent.
Ejuke, who has registered one goal and one assist in 25 league appearances, is more likely to feature off the bench as an impact option. The winger’s most influential recent cameo came in the 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on May 4, when he produced an impressive 89-minute display rated 7.7 by FotMob after coming on as a substitute.
At Old Trafford, Awoniyi is expected to feature for Nottingham Forest in their final Premier League away fixture of the season against third-placed Manchester United, while his compatriot Aina has been ruled out of the trip with a sustained knee injury during Forest’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Aston Villa.
With Forest’s Premier League survival already secured following Elliot Anderson’s late equalizer against Newcastle United last time out, Vitor Pereira’s side arrive at Old Trafford with nothing to lose, and Awoniyi may be handed a more prominent role as the club looks ahead to next season.
Forest have been in excellent form, winning three of their last five league matches, including a 5-0 demolition of Sunderland and a 3-1 win at Chelsea, and they arrive unbeaten in eight league games. Their recent head-to-head record against United also offers encouragement, with Forest unbeaten in their last four Premier League meetings.
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