Several Belgian teams once again face the challenging task of proving themselves at the European level. As national champions, Club Brugge is immediately set for the group stage of the Champions League, but how are the other teams faring? Read all about it in this article.
Club Brugge
As mentioned earlier, Club Brugge, as national champions, goes straight into the group stage of the Champions League, now called the ‘League Phase.’ Therefore, Club will have to wait until the draw on August 29, when they will be seeded in pot 2 and can hope for some top matchups. Possible opponents in that League Phase include Juventus, Manchester City, PSG, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.
By the way, the League Phase no longer looks the same: no more group stage with 32 participants and 8 groups of 4 teams, but rather 36 participants placed in a mini-league. All teams are put into one pot and one ranking, playing 8 matches against 8 different teams. The top 8 advance directly to the Round of 16 in the knockout stage, while the teams ranked 9 to 24 will play playoffs for the remaining 8 spots. The remaining teams are out of European competition, as there is no safety net in the form of the Europa League.
Union SG
Union was on its way to becoming the second Belgian team in the European Champions League, but after losing to Slavia Prague, the vice-champion was relegated to the Europa League. There, the Brussels team will no longer have to play any playoff matches and will go straight to the group stage, or League Phase.
The format in that League Phase is the same as in the Champions League: one large group of 36 teams. Their possible opponents in that group include AS Roma, Manchester United, Porto, Tottenham, Lazio, or Real Sociedad. Other notable teams in this group are Eintracht Frankfurt, AZ, or Lyon. The draw for this group is scheduled for Thursday, August 30, and the group matches begin on September 25. The top 8 teams advance directly to the Round of 16, while teams ranked 9 to 16 move on to the Round of 32.
Anderlecht
RSCA still has to play this week to secure a spot in the League Phase of the Europa League. On Thursday, August 22, and Thursday, August 29, the Brussels team will face Dinamo Minsk, who earlier defeated Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar. If Anderlecht wins, they will move directly to the Europa League group stage. If Anderlecht loses, they will go directly to the group stage of the Conference League. Even with a loss, Anderlecht will remain in Europe for a while longer.
But Anderlecht won’t drop any points domestically either. After four matches, the Mauves are already at the top of the ranking, with a one-point lead over a surprisingly strong Westerlo. The season is still long, but every point counts.
Cercle Brugge
Cercle Brugge couldn’t score enough goals to defeat Norwegian Molde and will therefore have to swap the Europa League qualifiers for those of the Conference League. In the playoffs of that tournament, Cercle will face Polish side Wisla Krakow. The first leg is scheduled for Thursday, August 22, and the home match will be played on Thursday, August 29.
If they win, Cercle will go directly to the group stage of the Conference League; if they lose, it’s over for the Green and Black. The team will then have to focus on domestic success and improving on last year’s performance. After a strong season, the club finished just fourth. After four JPL matches this season, they are currently in 12th place.
AA Gent
The Gent Buffaloes will play their European game against Partizan Belgrade on Thursday. AA Gent managed to narrowly win their previous match against Silkeborg, allowing them to advance to the next round in this series. Twice Gent came from behind to secure victory in extra time.
This also means that if Gent loses now, their European journey ends. If they advance, the Buffaloes will qualify for the Conference League group stage. The draw for the next round of the Conference League will take place on Friday, August 30.
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