Brothers at war across England: Aribo against Ndidi and Iheanacho, Iwobi versus Awoniyi and Dennis

Super Eagles stars will cast away national team brotherhood on Saturday as Leicester City, where Eagles duo of Wilfred Nididi and Kelechi Iheanacho play their club football, host Southampton where Eagles playmaker Joe Aribo plies his trade, in an English Premier League match.

Elsewhere in England, Everton, a club where Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi is relishing his new role in the central midfield, play Nottingham Forest, where the Eagles duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Dennis Emmanuel play their club football.

 Aribo is already relishing the prospect of being selected by his manager to play against national teammates Ndidi and Iheanacho when the Saints visit Leicester’s King Power Stadium.

Aribo, who has 20 senior caps and two goals for the Super Eagles, featured alongside the Foxes pair in the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

Asked what it would be like to face off against his international teammates, Aribo said: “It’s going to be really good. It’s going to be a tough test but I am excited to play against them, to be up against them.

“Leicester are a very good team, so it is not going to be easy for us.

“But we just need to stick to the manager’s game plan, our players need to turn up on the day and hopefully we will get the result.”

Asked what it was like as a player to experience an international tournament, Aribo said: “It was good, even being around the boys.

“Nigeria is a tight-knit group, everyone is friendly, everyone banters so it’s really good to have that and it was a really good experience.”

With Southampton and Leicester City only managing one point in six out of their opening two games of the season, three points would provide a huge boost as the 2022/23 campaign ramps up.

For the hosts, the opening day saw a home draw with Brentford before they fell to a 4-2 defeat in North London at Arsenal.

After an unfulfilling opening day trip to Tottenham, Saints came from two goals behind to claim an impressive point against Leeds United last time out, with Kyle Walker-Peters and Aribo both finding the net at St Mary’s.

While Leicester came out on top when the two sides met on the closing day of the 2021/22 season, it was 2-2 when Leicester visited St Mary’s back in December, with it all to play for in the East Midlands.

Leicester are boosted by the return of Harvey Barnes, who could make his first appearance of the Premier League season against Saints.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl has added options in defence, with the return to full fitness of Lyanco, who becomes available for the trip to Leicester after missing out on the Leeds clash.

Everton vs. Nottingham Forest

Iwobi and Everton teammates head into Saturday's encounter with Nottingham Forest as one of only three clubs who are yet to collect a point in the Premier League this season.

Meanwhile, Forest have moved into 10th position in the standings as a result of their victory over West Ham United last weekend.

Everton having conducted some good business through the signings of Conor Coady and Amadou Onana, Everton fans will be optimistic they will win on Saturday. 

While positives could be taken from the performances against Chelsea and Aston Villa, the Merseyside outfit have failed to pose enough threat in the final third on a regular basis.

Even if manager Frank Lampard has fewer options at his disposal on Saturday, the Englishman and his side are under pressure to deliver a result against opponents who could emerge as rivals as the season progresses.

Ahead of the opening game of the season to Newcastle United, which ended in defeat, Forest manager Steve Cooper stressed that he planned to add to the wide array of signings that he had already made earlier in the summer.

Eagles’ Dennis, Cheikhou Kouyate and Remo Freuler have since arrived at the City Ground, the trio being potentially different makers when it comes to featuring in a relegation battle or challenging for the mid-table spots.

That said, none of those players were on show as Forest edged out West Ham on Sunday, the decisive goal coming from Eagles forward Awoniyi.

Although the East Midlands outfit rode their luck against the Hammers, even relying on goalkeeper Dean Henderson to save a penalty, it felt like a result which laid the foundations for more to come in the future.

These two clubs are squaring off for the first time since 1999, Forest prevailing by a 1-0 scoreline at Goodison Park on that occasion.

Meanwhile, Awoniyi has reflected on his historic maiden goal for Nottingham Forest.

He said it took time before the importance of the strike sink in his head. “I didn’t even know until after the game on Sunday that it was so long since the club had been in this league,” Awoniyi told The Telegraph.

“It was just a special day for everyone. The crowd was very loud, and one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in.

“It’s obviously good to score so early into my time here but the most important thing is the team winning. And the victory will give his confidence moving forward.”