Newcastle United's Wissa Left Out of DR Congo's AFCON Squad

DR Congo leaves Wissa Out of AFCON squad amid knee injury concerns

DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre leaves Yoane Wissa out of AFCON squad due to knee injury, focusing on Newcastle United return.

 

“Yoane participated in an 11 v 11 training game while we were at Everton...”

The Democratic Republic of Congo has decided not to call up Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa for the Africa Cup of Nations. Wissa, 29, has been out of action since October due to a knee injury sustained while on international duty, and he hasn't played for Newcastle since joining from Brentford.

Wissa's omission from the squad is likely a relief for Newcastle fans, as it means he'll be available for the club's upcoming matches. He's been making progress in his recovery and has even participated in an 11v11 training game, giving manager Eddie Howe hope for his return soon.

Yoane Wissa has returned to training, and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is monitoring his progress. “Yoane participated in an 11 v 11 training game while we were at Everton. He'll have another one at some stage this week and we'll see how close he is (to returning to action),” Eddie Howe said, highlighting the forward's potential return.

Despite his progress, Wissa has been left out of DR Congo's squad for the upcoming tournament in Morocco, with coach Sebastien Desabre opting to leave him out. The decision comes as a blow to Wissa, who was looking to get back to full fitness.

DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre has stuck with the winning squad that secured their spot in the inter-confederation playoffs in Mexico in March. This means they'll face either New Caledonia or Jamaica for a World Cup spot in Canada, Mexico, and the US.

Desabre has also given debut opportunities to former Belgium junior internationals Michel-Ange Balikwisha, goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo, and Mario Stroeykens, who were all called up for the first time last month. Notably, Balikwisha converted a penalty in the shootout against Nigeria, helping DR Congo win the African World Cup qualifying playoff.

DR Congo are in Group D for the Africa Cup of Nations, with their first match against Benin on December 23 in Rabat. They'll also face Botswana and Senegal in the group stages.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Matthieu Epolo (Standard Liege), Timothy Fayulu (Noah), Lionel Mpasi (Le Havre)

Defenders: Rocky Bushiri (Hibernian), Gedeon Kalulu (Aris Limassol), Steve Kapuadi (Legia Warsaw), Joris Kayembe (Genk), Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland), Chancel Mbemba (Marseille), Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham)

Midfielders: Theo Bongonda (Spartak Moscow), Michel-Ange Balikwisha (Celtic), Brian Cipenga (Castellon), Edo Kayembe (Watford), Nathanael Mbuku (Montpellier), Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos), Ngal'ayel Mukau (Lille), Charles Pickel (Espanyol), Noah Sadiki (Sunderland), Mario Stroeykens (Anderlecht)

Forwards: Cedric Bakambu (Real Betis), Simon Banza (Al Jazira), Samuel Essende (Augsburg), Meshack Elia (Alanyaspor), Fiston Mayele (Pyramids)

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