Fulham and Newcastle United boost as Nottingham Forest star injured after ‘amazing’ performance
Fulham host Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage on Saturday in Premier League action.
Fulham and Newcastle United are set to face a Nottingham Forest side without the services of striker Taiwo Awoniyi this month.
The 27-year-old was on the scoresheet as Forest beat Exeter City in the FA Cup fourth round on Tuesday night, and earned praise for his performance. However, the striker also suffered a concussion and a broken nose in the cup tie.
Awoniyi collided with Exeter City goalkeeper Joe Whitworth and was stretchered off at St James Park. The match endured a significant delay as the player received treatment.
Awoniyi ‘amazing’ in FA Cup win
There were fears that the bagsman may have sustained a serious neck injury and he was applauded off by both sets of fans when leaving the field. Speaking after full-time, Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed that the injury was not that serious.
He said: “It was a concussion and a broken nose. He was in a lot of pain. But he has a smile on his face because he scored for us and did an amazing job. We are delighted for him (to get his goal).”
A player with a broken nose typically misses two weeks of play, which makes Awoniyi a doubt for this weekend’s trip to Fulham and next weekend’s visit to Newcastle United. The striker has only played a bit part this season, but his goal against Exeter City was vital in helping Forest through to the next round via penalties. He was also on target against Wolves in the Premier League last month.
Nuno’s side are looking to maintain their head-turning form this season to secure a place in the top four and Champions League football. Forest are currently third in the top flight, six places above the Cottagers ahead of this weekend.
Fulham look to double over Nottingham Forest
Marco Silva’s side won the reverse fixture at The City Ground, a 51st minute Raul Jimenez penalty enough to secure a 1-0 win. That was Forest’s first league defeat of the season, ending a five match unbeaten run.
Fulham go into this weekend’s meeting buoyed by an FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic, having secured an impressive 2-1 win over Newcastle United in their last taste of Premier League action. Nottingham Forest beat Brighton 5-0 in their last league match, but that came after a shock 7-0 defeat at Bournemouth at the end of January.
Fulham will once again look to Jimenez to lead the line against the Premier League high-flyers, as the Mexican returns to some of his best form. The striker has four top flight goals in his last six matches.
Speaking after Jimenez scored against Nottingham Forest at the start of the season, Silva said: “It’s great to see him back at that level again after that bad incident when he was at Wolves. It was tough for him to come back.
“In an important moment of his career, when he was struggling for goals, we showed the trust in him – and believed in him. He got used to scoring before the incident but we trusted him. From the first moment in this club he showed his hard work and his quality. It’s nice to see him score and be decisive for us.”
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