Siyabonga Ngezana faces setback ahead of Europa League tie
Bafana Bafana international Siyabonga Ngezana faces a setback ahead of FCSB’s opening UEFA Europa League tie.
Ngezana has been a key player since joining the Romanian giants ahead of the 2023/24 campaign from PSL giants Kaizer Chiefs. His consistent performances helped the club to clinch the league title.
They failed to qualify for the Europe’s elite club competition, the UEFA Champions League, however they sealed a spot in the Europe League.
The former Chiefs star played a role in ensuring that his side qualifies for the Europa League. The 27-year-old started both play-offs against Austrian side LASK as they won 2-1 on aggregate. The first leg ended 1-1, and in the second leg, Ngezana helped his side to keep a clean sheet after winning 1-0.
This season’s Europa League format changed from group stages to a 36-league stage. Each side will play eight matches [four home and four away]. The top eight sides in the standings will directly qualify for the knockout stages [Round of 16]. Teams laying ninth to 24th will compete in the play-offs for the Round of 16. Lastly, teams from the 25th to the 36th on the log will be eliminated.
The Romanian champions will play against Midtjylland FC, FC RFS, Olympiacos FC and Manchester United at home at National Arena. The other matches against TSG Hoffenheim, Rangers FC, PAOK FC and Qarabağ FK will be on the road.
FCSB will open their campaign against Latvian side FC RFS on Thursday, 26 September. Kickoff at National Arena is at 9PM.
SIYABONGA NGEZANA SIDELINED WITH AN INJURY SETBACK
The talented centre-back will miss an opportunity to make his Europa League debut through an injury setback.
Ngezana has been a notable absentee for his club in the last two league matches. The last time he featured for The Reds and Blues was at the beginning of September before the FIFA international break.
According to the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor, FCSB confirmed on Tuesday, 24 September, that Ngezana sustained an injury and will be out for about a month.
Ngezana was named in the Bafana Bafana 32-man preliminary squad to face Congo in back-to-back 2025 AFCON qualifiers in mid-October. However, with the injury blow, as things stand, he’s set to miss the qualifiers.
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