Nigerian Players Face Tough Matches in Europe

Five Nigerian players in England, Spain, and Italy have some tough matches this weekend. They will face league leaders, title contenders, and a Premier League champion in their respective games.

Semi Ajayi (Hull City vs Arsenal)
Ajayi and Hull City will visit Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The match kicks off at 4pm Nigerian time. Hull is currently 11th in the league and has not won in eight games across all competitions. They have gone seven matches without a win in the league. Ajayi played the full match in the 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town last weekend. He made six clearances and received a yellow card in the 88th minute. Arsenal has 24 points from nine matches and is the only team with a perfect home record this season.

Ola Aina (Forest vs Man City)
Aina and Nottingham Forest will host Manchester City at the City Ground on Saturday. The match starts at 5:30pm Nigerian time. Forest is in 19th place with six points from nine matches and has scored only six goals, which is the joint-lowest in the league. Aina started in the 2-0 defeat against Brentford last weekend but was substituted at half-time. He has only played once in Forest's last three league matches. Daniel Munoz is expected to take his place at right wing-back. City has lost their last two league matches but won 3-2 against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Umar Sadiq (Valencia vs Real Madrid)
Sadiq and Valencia will host Real Madrid at Mestalla on Saturday night. Valencia is in 19th place with nine points from 11 matches and has scored only eight goals, which is also the joint-lowest in La Liga. Sadiq came off the bench to score the only goal in the 1-0 win over Elche, marking his return after two months out due to injury. This goal also gave coach Javier Aguirre his first win. Madrid has won their last seven matches in all competitions and is currently in third place, three points behind Barcelona.

Ademola Lookman (Atlético vs Barca)
Lookman and Atlético Madrid will host league leaders Barcelona at the Metropolitano on Sunday night. This match features the top two teams in La Liga. Atlético is second with 28 points, just two points behind Barcelona, and has won their last seven league matches. Lookman has scored one league goal this season, which was against Sevilla in August. He came on in the 76th minute during the 2-0 win at Levante, a week after being substituted at half-time. Reports suggest that coach Diego Simeone is thinking about changing to a 4-3-3 formation, which could place Lookman on the left wing.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Napoli vs Lazio)
Dele-Bashiru and league leaders Lazio will visit Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday. The match kicks off at 12:30pm Nigerian time. Lazio has 28 points and has won their last six matches. Dele-Bashiru came on in the 55th minute during the 2-1 win over Cagliari last weekend. He appealed for a penalty after a contact in the box, but the referee did not award it. Napoli is currently in eighth place and has lost their last two matches, including a 4-1 defeat to Porto on Wednesday.