Standard de Liège – KVC Westerlo

On Sunday at 6:30 p.m., we travel to Sclessin for our final match of the regular season against Standard. Three points are a must to head into the international break with a good feeling and then kick off the Europe Play-offs.

KVC Westerlo

No fewer than 9,000 supporters made their way to ’t Kuipje last weekend to cheer on our Kemphanen—an attendance rarely seen in Westerlo. There was also an impressive tifo displayed before kickoff. A big thank you to all 9,000 supporters! Hopefully, our players can count on such a vibrant Kuipje more often this season.

Despite that support, a first home win against Club Brugge in 27 years was not to be. A brave Westerlo narrowly lost 1–2. Coach Issame Charaï reacted with mixed feelings afterward in Gazet van Antwerpen: “The biggest chances were for them, but I also saw a Brugge side playing on the counter.” He also addressed his players in the dressing room: “After this performance against such a strong opponent, I can only be proud of them. This is something we can build on.”

In the standings, we are currently ninth and already assured of a place in the Europe Play-offs. A notable statistic is that our Kemphanen have scored more goals away from home (19) than at ’t Kuipje (17). For this final matchday, Charaï will once again be without the suspended Nsiala.

Squad: Jungdal, Kimura, Bayram, Neustädter, Reynolds, Piedfort, Haspolat, Sakamoto, Saito, Ferri, Alcócer, Van Langendonck, Patrão, Bohamdi-Kamoni, Van den Keybus, Lapage, Ndembi, Sydorchuk, Smekens, Gouré.

Standard de Liège

Standard de Liège sit eighth in the table heading into the final matchday, meaning they still mathematically have a chance of reaching the Champions’ Play-offs. Last weekend, the Rouches secured a 1–1 draw away at Antwerp. Coach Vincent Euvrard will be without injured players Fossey and Calut. Striker Thomas Henry is also suspended after accumulating five yellow cards.

Line-up last matchday (3-5-2): Pirard, Bates, Hautekiet, Homawoo, Mortensen, Karamoko, Nielsen, Ilaimaharitra, Lawrence, Eckert Ayensa, Saïd.

A few Standard players to watch on Sunday include central defender Ibe Hautekiet (2 goals, 1 assist), midfielders Marco Ilaimaharitra (3 goals, 9 yellow cards) and Casper Nielsen (2 goals, 2 assists), and left winger Rafiki Saïd (5 goals, 3 assists).

The first leg

Our previous meeting with Standard took place on September 21, 2025, at ’t Kuipje. We lost 0–2. Westerlo started strongly and had the majority of possession and chances in the first half but created too little real danger. Standard, on the other hand, were efficient: midway through the first half, Nielsen curled the ball beautifully into the net, and just before halftime, Abid capitalized on a defensive mistake to make it 0–2 past Jungdal.

After the break, the pattern of the game remained the same. Our Kemphanen searched for openings but struggled against a well-organized Standard side. Despite several attempts and a disallowed goal by Kyan Vaesen, the equalizer never came. Standard controlled the match and took all three points back to Liège.

Did you know…

• Standard defender Daan Dierckx played in Westerlo’s youth academy.
• Andreas Jungdal has been called up to the Danish national team.
• Isa Sakamoto could play his 50th match for our club on Sunday.
• Several players have represented both clubs, such as Christian Brüls (Westerlo: 2010–2011 and 2019–2021 | Standard: 2015–2016) and Benoît Thans (Westerlo: 1997–2000 | Standard: 1988–1991 and 1992–1993).

Referees

Bert Put will officiate Sunday’s match. Koen Thijs and Tom Vanpoucke will be the assistant referees, while Anthony Letellier will act as fourth official. VAR duties in Tubeke will be handled by Lothar D’Hondt.

Put has previously officiated 13 matches involving KVC Westerlo. Of those, we won 5, lost 5 and drew 3.