Ukrainian midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko has been officially included in Nottingham Forest's squad for the Europa League group stage after the 'Forest' full-back Ola Aina was ruled out due to injury. This was reported on the UEFA website, according to UNN.
Details
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been included in Nottingham's official squad, while Ola Aina has been excluded due to an injury the defender sustained in a match for the Nigerian national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa.
Aina suffered a hamstring injury and is out for 2-3 months.
Addition
On September 1, Oleksandr Zinchenko moved from London's Arsenal to Nottingham Forest on loan until the summer of 2026.
Initially, Zinchenko was not included in Nottingham's squad for the Europa League group stage.
UEFA limited the team to only 22 players, not 25. The reason for the reduced squad was a rule requiring the inclusion of at least four academy graduates who had spent a minimum of three years at the club between the ages of 15 and 21.
Nottingham Forest had only one such player, which meant the squad had to be reduced, and Zinchenko was left out.
Interestingly, Nottingham Forest was not initially supposed to play in the Europa League, but to start their European campaign in the Conference League. FA Cup winner Crystal Palace, who was initially supposed to participate in the tournament, was moved to the Conference League by UEFA's decision due to a common owner with the French club Olympique Lyonnais, who also qualified for the Europa League.
Crystal Palace's place in the general stage of the tournament went to Nottingham Forest, who were the highest-placed team in the Premier League among clubs that failed to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League.
Recall
In August, a draw took place in Monaco, as a result of which Donetsk Shakhtar and Kyiv Dynamo learned their opponents in the group stage of the Conference League in the 2025/2026 season.