After being hit with a four-point deduction to leave their Premier League status in doubt, Nottingham Forest have been handed more bad news in the form of a frustrating injury update.
Nottingham Forest injury news
As if the challenge of staying in the Premier League and avoiding relegation wasn’t daunting enough, Forest’s four-point deduction has left them one point adrift of safety with just nine games left to play.
Forest released a statement following the news of their deduction, detailing the news that they plan to appeal against the decision made by the Premier League. The statement on the club’s official website read: “Nottingham Forest can confirm that it has today lodged an appeal against the four-point sanction imposed by the Commission in relation to the Club’s breach of the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR).”
What’s more, as Nuno Espirito Santo looks to guide his side to safety, he will also have to do so without a number of players in certain fixtures, given Forest’s injury list.
| Nottingham Forest’s injuries | Potential Return Date |
|---|---|
| Ola Aina | 07/04/2024 |
| Nuno Tavares | 07/04/2024 |
| Chris Wood | 30/03/2024 |
| Gonzalo Montiel | No Return Date |
| Willy Boly | No Return Date |
Adding to that list to make matters worse is now Taiwo Awoniyi. Espirito Santo confirmed that Awoniyi will miss at least the next two Forest games after yet another injury blow for the forward.
Awoniyi’s injury history
There’s no doubt that Awoniyi is an important member of the current Forest squad, and if he had avoided injury problems this season, then they may have been on course for safety by now. That has not been the case, however, in what has been an incredibly frustrating season which has only seen Awoniyi’s injury history added to at the club.
| Taiwo Awoniyi injury history | Games missed |
|---|---|
| 23/24 – Latest injury | 2 (at least) |
| 23/24 – Groin surgery | 12 |
| 22/23 – Groin injury | 15 |
In the space of almost two seasons, the forward has missed a total of 27 games and is on course to miss the next two to take that to 29, which is almost a full season. For a player of Awoniyi’s quality, that is far from ideal.
The games that the Nigeria international looks set to miss come against Crystal Palace this weekend and then Fulham on 2nd April in what should be seen as two crunch games for Forest’s survival hopes.
Awoniyi will then be hoping to return for a visit to Tottenham Hotspur, before remaining injury-free for the final six games of the season. In that time, it could well be his goals that make the difference and keep a struggling Forest side afloat.
