On Thursday, May 9th, the final of the Belgian Cup, also known as the Croky Cup, is scheduled. This year, Union and Antwerp will face each other in that final. The kickoff is set for 3:30 PM. Antwerp won the double last year, both the title and the cup, but now they can only win the cup. Meanwhile, Union can emulate the titleholder by aiming for the double this year. Read on for more information about this match between two of the best Belgian teams at the moment.
Union SG
Union Saint-Gilles was founded in 1897 and bears registration number 10. Since the twenties, they have been playing their home games at the Joseph Marien Stadium. The Unionistes sport yellow and blue as their club colors. Union was also the most successful Belgian club before World War II, winning the national title eleven times. So far, only Anderlecht and Club Brugge have won more titles. They have only been back in the top flight since 2021 after an absence of 48 years. In their third year back, they immediately have a chance to reclaim the national title. It has also been since 1914 that Union could win the cup.
In the quarter-finals of the Croky Cup, Union won a Brussels derby against Anderlecht. For a long time, it seemed Union would go home with a 2-0 victory, even with just 10 players, but Anders Dreyer scored a late goal for Anderlecht in extra time. Nonetheless, Union advanced and faced Club Brugge in the semi-finals. Union needed both matches to secure victory, as they lost the first leg 2-1. In the return leg, Union won 2-0.
German Alexander Blessin succeeded Felice Mazzu and Karel Geraerts as Union’s coach. He led the team to the cup final this year and could also steer them towards a national title. He does so, among other things, with the duo Amoura-Puertas. Mohamed Amoura has already scored 17 goals for the Unionistes, while Cameron Puertas has notched up 5 goals and 14 assists. But those two are not the only scorers for Union: Gustaf Nilsson has also scored 12 goals.
Like Antwerp last year, Union has a chance to achieve the double this year. Union is exceptionally strong this season, reaching not only the Croky Cup final but also the Champion’s Play-offs. The battle continues there. Union also had a good run in Europe until they were knocked out of the Conference League by Fenerbahce.
Antwerp
Royal Antwerp FC is the oldest Belgian professional football club. Founded in 1880, it received registration number 1 in 1926. Their home games are played at the Bosuilstadion. Antwerp is the current cup and title holder, but they can no longer become national champions. However, they can still try to keep the cup in Antwerp.
Antwerp faced OHL in the quarter-finals. In an interesting match, it ended 2-3 in favor of the Sinjoren. Like Union, Antwerp also needed two matches to secure victory in the semi-finals. In the first match, they drew against Oostende, but they won convincingly 3-0 in the second match.
Coach Mark Van Bommel has announced that he will step down as Antwerp’s coach after this season. He led the Great Old to the double last season and could bid farewell this year with another cup win. Until his departure, he still has an excellent team at his disposal, including Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Toby Alderweireld. There are many more to mention, but the top scorer for Antwerp is Vincent Janssen. The Dutchman scored 11 goals for the Sinjoren this season, three more than the second highest scorer, George Ilenikhena.
Antwerp also performed very well in the regular season this year, finishing in 3rd place after Union and Anderlecht. They had only one point more than Club Brugge, and that small difference also haunts them in the play-offs. Not that it’s solely to blame, as Antwerp also left some of their good football behind in the regular season. In the Champion’s Play-offs, they have only managed to win once and are currently at the bottom of the table.
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