In the second qualifying round of the Europa League, Cercle Brugge will face Scottish club Kilmarnock this week. The score is currently tied following the first match in Scotland, but can Cercle advance to the next round on their home turf?
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League is the second most important international football tournament for clubs in Europe. Established in 1971, it has been known as the Europa League since 2009, having previously been called the UEFA Cup or Europacup III. Sevilla holds the record with the most titles, having won 7 times. This year, Sevilla won’t have a chance to add to their tally, as they finished only 14th in the Spanish La Liga. Sevilla will remain the record holder for a while, with their closest rival, Inter Milan, having only 3 titles. The top scorer in this competition is Swedish Henrik Larsson, who scored 40 goals for Feyenoord, Celtic, and Helsingborgs.
The current Europa League title holder is Atalanta, who defeated Leverkusen 3-0 in the final, a team that had lost only one match in any competition until then. The victory was secured in part by a hat-trick from Ademola Lookman, with contributions from Belgian international Charles De Ketelaere. On their way to the final, Atalanta also defeated Liverpool and Marseille.
The first matches of the first qualifying round for this edition were played on July 11. Cercle Brugge is competing in the second qualifying round, which started on July 25. After this round, there will be a third qualifying round, followed by the play-off round at the end of August. The group stage for the main tournament begins in late September, and the knockout round starts in February 2025. The final is scheduled for May 21, 2025.
Cercle Brugge
Cercle Brugge was founded in 1899 and became the first Flemish club to win the Belgian championship in 1911. In 1927, they were the first Bruges team to win both the championship and the cup in the same year. Although they haven’t won many trophies since, they have a significant place in Belgian football history. They share the Jan Breydel Stadium with city rival Club Brugge.
Cercle is currently at the bottom of the Jupiler Pro League after a 3-0 loss to Westerlo. However, the Bruges team is not overly concerned; last year they also started the JPL with a loss to Antwerp but eventually finished 5th in the league and 4th after the play-offs.
Last year, the club finished 4th in the Jupiler Pro League, securing a ticket for the Europa League qualifiers. In the first match of this qualifying round in Scotland, Kazeem Olaigbe gave the Green and Black an early lead, but the Scots equalized a quarter of an hour later. The familiar Jan Breydel Stadium might be an advantage for Cercle. If Cercle fails to win against Kilmarnock, they still have the opportunity to succeed in the Conference League.
Kilmarnock FC
This Scottish club was founded in 1869, making it the oldest professional football team in Scotland. They were also present at the first Scottish Cup in 1873. In 1899, the club was admitted to the Scottish First Division and became one of the most successful smaller clubs. From 1993 until their relegation in 2021, the club played continuously in the Scottish Premier League, and they were promoted again after one year. Last year, Kilmarnock finished 4th in the Scottish Premier League, and this year, the team has not yet played a match in their domestic league.
So far, Kilmarnock has won the Scottish championship only once. They have also won the Scottish Cup three times, the Scottish League Cup once, and were champions of the second division three times. Internationally, the team has had little success, if any. They have only participated in the Champions League once, known then as the Europacup I, in 1965. This year is only the second time they have qualified for the Europa League, after their debut in 2019, where they also did not advance beyond the qualifiers.
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