Awoniyi eyes record against for former club, Liverpool
With a goal on Saturday, Awoniyi can become the first player to score in each of his first three Premier League home starts for Forest.
Players are often extra motivated to score against their former clubs, especially when those ex-employers are seen not to have given them enough room to blossom.
That is the scenario as Taiwo Awoniyi goes up against Liverpool for the very first time on Sunday in the Premier League.
Forest host the Merseysiders at the City Ground at noon on Saturday.
Awoniyi was on the payroll of Liverpool for six years, joining the Anfield giants in 2015 after helping Nigeria win the FIFA u17 World Cup.
The ex-Golden Eaglets hero left the Reds permanently last year – without making a single first-team appearance – to team up with Union Berlin in Germany.
Awoniyi excelled in the Bundesliga, convincing Nottingham Forest to part with a then club-record €20.5m to bring him back to England.
Aside from being fired up to show Liverpool what they lost, Awoniyi could enter the Nottingham Forest record books if he finds the back of the net against the reds.
With a goal on Saturday, Awoniyi can become the first player to score in each of his first three Premier League home starts for Forest.
In his first start at the City Ground, Awoniyi’s strike helped Nottingham Forest beat West Ham 1-0 – it remains the club’s only win this term.
Awoniyi’s second home start was in the 2-3 defeat at home to Fulham.
Liverpool have won half of the previous 100 league meetings, but Forest are unbeaten in 12 top-flight home games in this fixture since a 2-0 defeat on 28 October 1984
