'He is fit' - Club Brugge coach tight-lipped on Onyedika's chances of starting v Barcelona

Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen has remained coy on whether Raphael Onyedika will start in Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League encounter against Barcelona.

The Super Eagles midfielder made his return from a hamstring injury in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Dender at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

The 24-year-old replaced Romeo Vermant in the 63rd minute and immediately brought balance and composure to the midfield, qualities the team had been missing in recent weeks.

His impressive cameo has since fueled calls for his return to the starting lineup against the Spanish champions.

However, Hayen stopped short of confirming whether the Nigerian international will feature from the onset.

"Onyedika is fit enough. We'll see tomorrow whether he starts or not," Hayen said during his press conference as quoted by Nieuwsblad.

Onyedika, who has been an integral part of the squad since his arrival in 2022, missed Brugge’s last two Champions League outings against Atalanta and Bayern Munich.

In his absence, the Belgian side struggled, suffering defeats in both matches and conceding a total of six goals.

The Nigerian midfielder will be hoping to get some playing time on Wednesday and help Brugge bounce back to winning ways against Barcelona.

Adeyemi Adewale

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