On Friday (today), football-loving Nigerians will savour a far-between privilege of seeing four Super Eagles players involved in a Premier League match as Wilfred Ndidi’s Leicester City host Nottingham Forest, who have Ola Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Emmanuel Dennis in their books, at King Power Stadium.
WILFRED NDIDI (LEICESTER CITY)
The midfielder is a mainstay and a sure bet for a starting role, having featured in every one of the club’s eight Premier League matches in 2024/2025, an ever-present feature by starting in all eight.
The 27-year-old has been in imperial form following his arrival from 2016/2017 from Genk for € 17.6m. He has assisted four Premier League goals for his teammates this campaign, which ranks him third overall in this category in 2024/2025, building on his remarkable Championship campaign, playing 32 matches and scoring four goals and rendering five assists to help the Foxes back to the elite division.
OLA AINA, TAIWO AWONIYI, EMMANUEL DENNIS (NOTTINGHAM FOREST)
The 28-year-old wingback Ola Aina has been a consistent top performer for the visitors, turning heads with his scintillating overlapping runs and defensive prowess.
Like Ndidi, he has featured in every one of the side’s eight Premier League games in 2024/2025, starting in all eight.
Aina played 22 Premier League games last season for Nottingham Forest, scored one goal, and provided one assist following his switch from Torino in July 2023 after making 72 league appearances in total for the Serie A side, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
Taiwo Awoniyi has been on the fringes at the club this term, largely impaired by injuries.
He will likely start from the bench, hoping to make the most of every minute on the pitch as he seeks a turning point.
Awoniyi has taken part in five Premier League matches in 2024/2025 overall and accumulated 85 minutes of playing time. He has been selected in the starting XI in one of these appearances across their eight fixtures.
Last season for Nottingham Forest, Awoniyi made 20 Premier League appearances, scored six goals, and provided three assists.
Emmanuel Dennis, 26, hasn’t been involved in any of the eight Premier League matches that his side have played so far in 2024/2025.
The last Premier League appearance that Dennis made came on April 27, 2024, for Watford versus Sunderland, a game that he played 45 minutes in during a 1-0 win.
Dennis returned to Nottingham Forest in July 2024 after a loan spell at Watford, for whom he made 52 league appearances in total, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists.