KAA Gent – KVC Westerlo

Forty-seven previous encounters are already recorded in the history books. A victory in this last match of the year would certainly be noted in these books, as it has been no less than 16 years since we last managed to take all three points against the Buffalos. In that time, we travelled to Gent 10 times, resulting in 8 defeats and 2 draws, including the spectacular 4-4 draw at the then Jules Otten Stadium. We were initially 3-0 down, but 10 minutes after the break, the score was level again. Ultimately, Daniel Chavez headed in the equaliser in the 93rd minute. One thing is certain: we always score in Gent.

First leg

The Belgian calendar maker has once again created a unique situation in Europe: just five match days ago, Gent came to the Kuipje (0-0), and one month later, the return match is already on the schedule. Despite this scoreless draw, there were no fewer than 30 shots on goal. Our Kemphanen had an expected goals of 2.34 against 0.87 for Gent. Goalkeeper Davy Roef was the star of the show, making five good saves.

Westerlo news

It’s been a bit shaky at training over the past few days. Only Griffin Yow stayed inside to recover from a minor injury. The group atmosphere was excellent, especially when DJ Dogucan gets to decide what music is played in the “gym”. These days, he’s clearly a fan of Mariah Carey… but who exactly he wants is still being decided 😀

Bryan and Andreas took on Lyndsey and Gaëlle from our women’s team in the Christmas video, competing to see who could wrap presents the fastest and most skilfully with one hand. Here too, it was all about having fun.

We are now unbeaten in five games in a row, including matches against Anderlecht, Genk and Gent, who are PO1 candidates every year. This is a great run, considering that in the 22/23 season, we went six games without defeat.

Gent news

Since that last encounter, things have been just as hectic for our opponents. An (unexpected) change of manager, with a familiar face now at the helm. After two consecutive defeats, against Club Brugge (2-1) and Antwerp (0-2), they will certainly be keen not to drop any more points in East Flanders, although their form curve in the last five defeats does not look optimal, with four points out of a possible 15.

Omri Gandelman is the top scorer, with 8 goals in the league and Cup. Watch out for this guy too, because he has scored 6 times against us in the past!

Referee

Simon Bourdeaud’Hui will referee his 13th match in our JPL this season. There are two remarkable facts about these matches: he has never placed the ball on the penalty spot and the matches have always been played with 11 against 11.

On match day 1 – Anderlecht away – he was our match leader and in recent years we have had him as referee eight times, with a record of two wins, five draws and one defeat. In 2024, he has already refereed a Gent vs Westerlo match (2-2).