UECL Onuachu Ruled out as Trabzonspor face Hearts

Thomas Reis has confirmed that Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu will miss Trabzonspor’s UEFA Europa Conference League clash against Scottish side Heart of Midlothian. The Turkish Super Lig outfit will host Hearts at Papara Park on Thursday night in the third match of their Conference League campaign.

Injury in KuPS win

Onuachu suffered the setback during Trabzonspor’s 4‑2 victory over Finnish side KuPS last Thursday. The Black Sea Storm forward opened the scoring in the third minute but was forced off after just seven minutes following the injury.

Coach Reis outlines options

Reis said the encounter with Hearts would come too soon for the forward, suggesting a possible return for the upcoming league fixture against Rizespor. “Tomorrow will be a bit early for Mustafa, early for his return tomorrow. For Onuachu, we could say maybe the Rizespor match,” he told reporters.

He added that Trabzonspor maintain separate player lists for European and domestic competitions, with the final starting‑eleven to be decided after the last training session. “Our player lists for Europe and the league are different. We’ll do the last training session shortly, and we’ll decide on the starting 11,” Reis explained.

The absence of the Nigerian striker leaves Trabzonspor without one of their early‑game threats as they aim to secure points in the Conference League while balancing league commitments.