Slavia Prague will have to play out their upcoming fixtures without the commanding presence of Nigerian centre-back Igoh Ogbu, suffered a severe injury during their intense clash against Viktoria Plzen over the weekend.
The incident occurred just past the halfway mark of the first half when Ogbu collided head-on with Plzen’s Jan Kopic and Svetozar Markovic in the penalty area.
The former Nigeria youth international was stretchered off, and Slavia went ahead to crush Plzen 3-0.
Subsequent medical tests on Ogbu has revealed something far more serious—a fractured zygomatic arch.
Ogbu is set to undergo surgery in the coming days, and while head coach Jindrich Trpisovsky has not put an exact timeline on his recovery, he hinted that a return might not be any time soon.
Igoh Ogbu's injury: Impact on Slavia's Europa League Campaign
Interestingly, Igoh Ogbu’s injury mirrors that of his captain, Jan Bořil, though the former's case appears to be more severe.
The 24-year-old has been an essential part of Slavia Prague’s backline, starting all twelve of their matches this season and playing a vital role in helping young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky secure seven clean sheets in eight league games.
As Slavia Prague travel to Bulgaria to face Ludogorets in their Europa League opener, they will do so without their Nigerian star, leaving a massive hole in their defence that will need to be filled during his recovery.
Slavia are unbeaten in their last four outings with four straight victories and will be looking to maintain that momentum when they trade tackles with their hosts in Razgrad.
Ogbu is not the only player expected to be out of this fixture; countryman Boluwatife Ogungbayi is also ruled out of the clash due to a knee injury.
