KVC Westerlo – Union

“Sayyadmanesh breaks into the box. Does he make the right decision? Yes, he does! He does! ’t Kuipje explodes! It’s Isa Sakamoto who secures a three-pointer for Westerlo!” the DAZN commentator exclaimed after the winning goal last weekend. Despite it being a Sunday evening, fans and players still celebrated long into the night. Can our Kemphanen repeat that feat this Sunday at 4 p.m. at ’t Kuipje against reigning champions Union Saint-Gilloise?

KVC Westerlo

It’s no exaggeration to say that the victory over Charleroi was savored for quite some time. Coach Charaï reacted with satisfaction immediately after the match: “Very proud of the boys. A great performance against Charleroi, who are a strong team. What I’ll remember most is that, for the first time this season, we turned the tide and won a game.”

The coach also stressed that the hunger is far from satisfied. In an interview with Gazet van Antwerpen, he said he wanted to give his players an extra day off, but they turned down the offer. “That shows desire and ambition,” said Charaï. Thanks to last matchday’s win, the Kemphanen move up to ninth place with 34 points. Barring any setbacks, Charaï should be able to count on the same squad as last week.

A striking statistic: in the standings over the last ten matchdays, Westerlo ranks an impressive fourth with 17 out of 30 points. Only Union, Club Brugge and this season’s revelation STVV have done better. After our victories against Antwerp and Charleroi, we could win three matches in a row for the first time since the start of last season. Notably, we also took 9 out of 9 back then, including a 4-3 home win against Union. It will also be interesting to see whether in-form Sayyadmanesh can continue his strong run over the past two weeks (2 goals, 2 assists).

Union Saint-Gilliose

Union currently tops the standings with 56 points. The team from Brussels has recorded 16 wins, 8 draws and just 2 defeats. Moreover, with only 15 goals conceded, they boast the best defense in the league.

Last weekend, Union defeated Antwerp 2-1. The first half was tight and seemed headed for a 0-0 halftime scoreline until Promise David decided otherwise. After Antwerp lost possession, the striker struck from a tight angle. Via a defender and the post, the ball found the net: 1-0 at the break. After halftime, Antwerp took the initiative and equalized in the 51st minute. The match was further shaken by a heavy collision between David and Foulon, with the latter leaving the field on a stretcher. In stoppage time, Union still managed to snatch the win. Wing-back Khalaili delivered the ball into the box, and defender Sykes headed home the 2-1 winner in the 91st minute.

Union started with the following eleven (3-5-2): Chambaere, Mac Allister, Burgess, Sykes, Khalaili, Zorgane, Ait El Hadj, Van De Perre, Smith, Fuseini, David.

The first leg

The first meeting took place on matchday nine at Duden Park. The first half was evenly contested. The first big chance fell to Westerlo. Sayyadmanesh set up Reynolds with a backheel, sending him one-on-one with goalkeeper Scherpen, who made the save. Before halftime, Union struggled to find an answer to the visitors’ solid organization.

After the break, Union took more initiative. Jungdal first prevented the opening goal with a save from a Sykes effort. In the 63rd minute, he once again denied the same defender with a fine save from a header, but David converted the rebound to make it 1-0. From then on, Union kept control of the match. Fifteen minutes before the final whistle, Rommens lost the ball to Union defender Patris, who sent Giger through on goal against Jungdal. He finished calmly to seal the 2-0 final score.

Did you know…

• Roman Neustädter could play his 100th match in a Westerlo shirt on Sunday.
• Since the 2017–2018 season, we have faced Union 26 times. Union won 14 of those matches, we won 6, and 6 ended in a draw.
• The first meeting between the two clubs took place in the second division during the 1996–1997 season. Westerlo won both matches.
• Both Edisson Jordanov (Westerlo: 2021–2025 | Union: 2020–2021) and Mathias Fixelles (Westerlo: 2022–2026 | Union: 2016–2021) have played for both teams and even won the second-division title with both clubs.