14.02.2026

R. Antwerp F.C. – KVC Westerlo

PREVIEW

Sunday afternoon at 4 PM, we head to Bosuilstadion for the clash with Royal Antwerp FC. Both The Great Old and our Kemphanen lost their previous match 0–4. We did so last weekend against Sint-Truidense VV, while Antwerp were knocked out in the cup semi-final by RSC Anderlecht.

KVC Westerlo

The troops of coach Issame Charaï currently sit 12th in the standings. After last weekend’s defeat, Zulte Waregemleapfrogged us again. We will miss two players through suspension: Dylan Ourega picked up two yellow cards last week and was sent off, while captain Doğucan Haspolat received his fifth yellow card of the season.

In the build-up to the match, coach Charaï and Haspolat attended a press conference together with several children, which produced plenty of fun stories. Koen Vanlangendonck and Emin Bayram turned out to be the pranksters of the squad, while Haspolat is the team’s DJ. The coach also revealed that his father is his biggest idol. “The player I looked up to the most was Zinedine Zidane. A truly wonderful footballer to watch,” said Charaï. “I hope we can still achieve strong results this season and finish it nicely,” Haspolat replied when asked about ambitions for the rest of the campaign. He hopes to finish as high as possible. Charaï is also looking ahead: “I want to do better than last year. And then we’ll see which play-offs we end up in,” the coach concluded.

R. Antwerp F.C.

Last weekend Antwerp lost 2–0 away in the league against KV Mechelen. The home side took the lead after just 11 minutes. In the second half, Keano Vanrafelghem doubled the score, and the club with registration number 1 had no answer. It was their third defeat in five matches. After the heavy 0–4 home defeat in the cup last Thursday, Antwerp have now lost four of their last six games. The Great Old will be keen to stop this poor run on Sunday, so our Kemphanenmust be fully alert from the very first minute.

Despite the red card Antwerp defender Yuto Tsunashima received on Thursday, he is eligible to play on Sunday. Antwerp do have several injury problems at the Bosuil. Argentine playmaker Mauricio Benítez is missing in midfield, and defender Rein Van Helden is out with a hamstring injury. Players to watch on Sunday include: Goalkeeper Taishi Brandon Nozawa (4 clean sheets), midfield talent Xander Dierckx, Gyrano Kerk (2 goals, 4 assists), Thibo Somers (4 goals, 3 assists) and captain Vincent Janssen (7 goals, 4 assists)

The first leg

For the first meeting, we go back to 30 August 2025. That evening, the Kemphanen sent Antwerp back to Deurne-Noord with a 2–0 defeat. One of the standout performers was Isa Sakamoto. Every time the Japanese winger touched the ball, danger followed. In the 28th minute, he deservedly opened the scoring after a pinball moment in the Antwerp box. Just before half-time, Nacho Ferri hit the post with a powerful header.

After the break, the club with registration number 1 improved, but they could not threaten Andreas Jungdal. Twenty minutes into the second half, Antwerp were awarded a penalty after an unfortunate handball by our defender Seiji Kimura. Jungdal saved the spot-kick and kept the Kemphanen in front. Shortly after, Arthur Piedfort decided the match with the 2–0, after fine preparatory work from Josimar Alcócer. This goal was the final blow for Antwerp and marked The Great Old’s first defeat of the season.

Did you know…

  • Westerlo have played Antwerp 23 times: 11 wins for our Kemphanen, 6 draws, and 6 defeats.

  • Antwerp legend Patrick Goots is the top scorer in this fixture with 6 goals. For Westerlo, Toni Brogno scored the most, with 3 goals.

  • Our previous match at the Bosuil ended 3–2, with Antwerp scoring the winner in the 97th minute from a penalty.

  • The most valuable player on the pitch is Antwerp defender Zeno Van Den Bosch (€8 million). For Westerlo, it is Bayram, valued at €4 million.

  • Several players featured for both clubs, including Antwerp icon Francis Severeyns (Westerlo: 2001–2002 | Antwerp: 1984–1988, 1992–1997) and Nader Ghandri (Westerlo: 2018–2021 | Antwerp: 2017–2018).

Referee

Bert Verbeke will officiate Sunday’s match. He has already refereed three Westerlo games. The first was last season during the Europe play-offs, when our Kemphanen drew 2–2 with KV Mechelen. This season, we encountered Verbeke twice: our 3–1 home win against Zulte Waregem, and later away at RSC Charleroi, where we lost 2–0.

In these matches, Verbeke showed only two yellow cards to Westerlo players and awarded us one penalty. Four opponents received a yellow card, and he never awarded a penalty against us. He has never shown a red card to a Westerlo player.

He will be assisted by linesmen Yves De Neve and Martijn Tiesters, with Jasper Vergoote as fourth official. VAR duties will be handled by Quentin Pirard.