By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria forward Peter Olayinka is set to return from injury ahead of Red Star Belgrade’s UEFA Champions League second-round qualifying tie later this July.
The Serbian champions will face either Víkingur Gøta of the Faroe Islands or Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps in a two-legged tie scheduled between July 22 and July 30.
Olayinka, 28, has been sidelined since October 2024 after suffering an Achilles tendon rupture that ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
He resumed light training in May and is expected to rejoin full team preparations during Red Star’s preseason camp.
The Nigerian international joined Red Star from Slavia Prague in the summer of 2023 and scored two goals and provided one assist in six league appearances before the injury setback.
He also featured in the Champions League group stage last season but did not find the net.
Olayinka’s return is seen as a major boost for head coach Barak Bakhar as the club aims to advance to the Champions League playoff round and secure a spot in the group stage for the second consecutive season.
His experience and attacking presence could prove crucial as Red Star looks to navigate the early qualifying rounds of Europe’s premier club competition.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
