Croky Cup: A Preview
This week, eight Belgian teams will play the quarter-finals of the Croky Cup. During these matches we will be presented with, among other things, a ‘Battle of Flanders’ and a Brussels derby. Entertainment guaranteed, then. Which teams will keep a cool head and qualify for the semi-finals?
Snow
Due to the cold temperatures, some matches could not take place. The first match, between Ghent and Club Brugge, could still be played. But if the weather reports are to be believed, Wednesday’s matches could be in jeopardy.
So let’s take a look at the hosts. OHL is known for its good turf, with field heating. Antwerp could therefore go to Den Dreef without any problems. Union has taken precautions. At the beginning of December, their match against Cercle Brugge was almost canceled due to snow, so they decided to install field heating. However, volunteers will still have work to remove the snow. We will have to wait until Wednesday afternoon before we know for sure. Not much precipitation would be expected for KV Oostende, on the sea. But it will be even more difficult for the club to handle their matches for other reasons. Their chairman has resigned, their stadium is in danger of emptying and their players are not paid well. The matches in this Croky Cup seem almost impossible to play.
Ghent – Club Brugge
It has only been a month since the previous ‘Battle of Flanders’ was delivered. Club Brugge then became the winner after a match full of discussions. Ghent therefore has a chance to take revenge on Tuesday evening in the knockout phase of this tournament. Two years ago, the Buffaloes also managed to knock the blue-black out of the semi-finals, and later lifted the cup. Hein Vanhaezebrouck would love to experience that situation again.
Ghent has to make do with a number of fewer strong players. Hyun-seok Hong, Tarik Tissoudali, Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Nurio Fortuna will represent their country at the African Cup or the Asian Cup. Vanhaezebrouck therefore had to appeal to a number of youth products, who may not have the experience to win this battle.
OHL – Antwerp
On paper, the defending champion has an easier opponent in Leuven, but the ‘Great Old’ also has to break a bad series in the JPL. For example, they lost against Genk and drew against Westerlo and Anderlecht. These results dropped them to sixth place. They are certainly doing better than OHL, which is in 14th place with 16 points. They meet on Wednesday evening at Den Dreef. So it seems that Antwerp has a good chance of winning this match, but the Croky Cup can surprise.
OHL would also like to advance to the next round. The Leuven club also believes in a stunt in this round of the cup, and will sell its skin dearly. They have also recently been strengthening themselves by recruiting a number of new players. Can the people of Leuven achieve the stunt on Den Dreef?
Ostend – RWDM
In front of their own audience, the only remaining second division team can try to advance against RWDM. KV Oostende surprisingly won against KRC Genk, and thus secured a place in the quarter-finals. They do have a number of problems at the seaside, which could even make it possible for RWDM to immediately receive a free pass to the next round.
These two teams are not at the top in the Belgian competitions. RWDM is in 13th place in the Jupiler Pro League, 5 points ahead of OHL. The people of Brussels also lost both previous matches. KV Oostende is at the bottom of the First Division B, also known as the Challenger Pro League.
Union – Anderlecht
This Brussels derby will be a real winner this year. Union is in the lead in the Jupiler Pro League, but is being chased 6 points behind by Anderlecht. The Purple & White therefore faces a difficult task against city rival Union.
It does help the people of Brussels from Anderlecht that they implemented an extensive injection of quality last summer. That is one of the biggest reasons why they are about the only team that can continue in Union’s footsteps for the time being. However, Les Mauves’ main goal is to win a European ticket. The quickest way to do that is through a cup win.
Bet on the Croky Cup
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