The 2024-25 season is the 122nd edition of Belgian professional football and the ninth after the 2015 league reform. Our Westel will take part in this patriotic competition for the 21st time.

KVC Westerlo

Nobody in the Kempen wants to experience a similar scenario as last season. Coach changes, getting the media in the wrong way, a match boycotted by Standard supporters, in short, everything that could go wrong we have seen up close.

New Belgian coach Timmy Simons was appointed to lead the Kemphans this season. In any case, the preparatory games already went smoothly.
We won each time with the smallest score against Young Boys Bern, AA Gent and Seraing, Beveren was wiped off the mat with a dry 5-0 win, against Servette we suffered the only defeat (2-3) and in the gala match against Helmond Sport we again kept the zero, but could not score either. Last season we had to concede most goals, now we kept the zero on the board in 5 out of 6 games.

The core of players did not undergo many changes: only two central defenders were added: notably Luka Vuskovic and Ermin Ortakaya, and one striker: Julian Placias. Some leased players also descended back into Kuipje: Seigers, Gumuskaya, Mebude and Daci. Everyone is match-fit, only Griffin Yow will be missing as he was called up for the USA Olympic team.

Selection: Bolat, Gillekens, Van Langendonck as goalkeepers; Reynolds, Jordanov, Vuskovic, Neustädter, Seigers, Haidara, Bos and Rommens as defenders: Haspolat, Piedfort, Madsen, Sydorchuk, Van den Keybus, Gumuskaya, Smekens and Fixelles as midfielders and Mebude, Sayyadmanesh, Alcocer, Frigan, Stassin and Placias as strikers. 20 of them will eventually make the match sheet, consequently five more players will be relegated to the stands.

Cercle Brugge

The West Flemish green blacks had an exceptional season last year. Finishing in fourth place, after Club, Union and Anderlecht, and thus qualifying for the preliminary rounds of the Europa League is nice, very nice indeed. The league’s top marksman could also be found in the green at Jan Breydel. Indeed, Kevin Denkey accounted for 27 goals and one assist. His two attacking companions Somers and Minda also scored 15 goals together and both accounted for 11 assists.

They saw three important base pawns disappear: right back Siquet sought the blue side of the stadium and midfielders Leonardo Lopes (without a club note!) and Felix Lemaréchal (back to Monaco) can no longer be found in Bruges’ core either.

New acquisitions Agyekum, Gonçalves and Bayo were on the bench against Kilmarnock (1-1), by the way, so the 11 starting players could already be found in the green and black shirt last season: Warleson, Ravych, Utkus, Daland, Nazinho, Francis, Van Der Bruggen, Ouattara, Somers, Olaigbe and Denkey.

Referee

Kevin Van Damme was assigned this match. Last season, he was allowed to lead 16 matches in the Jupiler Pro League and 6 matches in the Challenger Pro League. Eupen vs Westerlo and Union vs Westerlo were 2 of them, both ending in a 2-2 draw.

Statistics with him usually yield a draw: in the previous 9 encounters, 7 draws, one win and one loss. It will be the fifth time he has been allowed to whistle a match at the Kuipje.

Text and statistics: Peter Boons