Club Brugge manager Ivan Leko believes the club will greatly miss the impact of midfielder Raphael Onyedika ahead of this weekend clash against Gent, SportPremi reports.
The defensive midfielder will miss few weeks of action for the Blue-Black due to international commitments, after he was named in Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament.
The tournament will commence on the 21st of December in Morocco, with the final scheduled to hold on the 18th of January, 2026.
Onyedika joined the Belgian club in 2022 and immediately developed into one of their very important players.
The 24-year-old has made 24 appearances in all competitions this season, including 14 in the league, while he has only missed a few games with injury, highlighting his importance to the squad.
Club Brugge welcome Gent to the Jan Breydel Stadium on Sunday afternoon, hoping to close the gap to league leaders Union Saint-Gilloise.
What Ivan Leko said about Onyedika’s absence
Ivan Leko joined Club Brugge for a second spell in charge and has prepared his side as they get ready to face his former club.
Speaking ahead of the clash, the 47-year-old expressed disappointment at the absence of several key players in the squad, including Onyedika.
“We are missing a very important player. And because Ludovit Reis is still out we don’t have a similar profile to replace it. So we will have to come up with something, but we have enough qualities to find a solution”, the Croatian revealed.
“You can be sure that the eleven players will know how to defend and attack together on Sunday. It’s of a whole level, also organizational. Everything is here to prepare you optimally. Sometimes you would like to stay a whole day, but of course we also have to go home.
On the win over Dender in their
“That was already decided by the physical coaches, but I stand behind it. I also felt that it was necessary after a busy period. With all due respect to what has already been achieved here, but we have made a new start”, Leko continued.
“The peace has returned, the atmosphere was good. I am very satisfied with what I see. Without falling into the past, we want to create a certain synergy between the staff and the players and write our own story.”
Raphael Onyedika could miss up to four matches for Club Brugge, depending on how far the Super Eagles reach at the AFCON tournament.
The Blue-Blacks face Gent later tomorrow, before ending their 2025 with a clash against Genk on the 26th.
Club Brugge then start the new year with a cup clash against Charleroi, before facing La Louviere in the Super League on the 16th of January, 2026.
