KVC Westerlo – Sporting Charleroi
The international break is over, and the competition finally resumes. On Sunday at 6:30 p.m., KVC Westerlo host the Zebras of Royal Charleroi Sporting Club at ’t Kuipje for the opening matchday of the Europe Play-offs.
KVC Westerlo
The last match of our Kemphanen dates back to March 23, away at Standard de Liège. That game ended in a goalless draw. Our captain Doğucan Haspolat had the chance to decide the match from the penalty spot, but the goalkeeper saved his effort. Coach Issame Charaï did not blame him afterward: “Do was first on the list today and took his responsibility. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t go in.”
Charaï’s men now begin these play-offs with one clear objective: to make them a success. “We will work hard to still make something of it. This season, I saw a team that kept improving week after week. Hopefully, we can show that again in the Europe Play-offs,” said Haspolat. With a strong end to the season (11 out of 18), confidence is high. KVC Westerlo start these play-offs in third place with 20 points, just one point behind leaders KRC Genk. Good news is that Clinton Nsiala returns to the squad after his suspension.
Squad: Jungdal, Annell, Van Langendonck, Lapage, Nsiala, Sydorchuk, Patrão, Bohamdi-Kamoni, Sakamoto, Smekens, Reynolds, Mbamba, Ourega, Gouré, Neustädter, Haspolat, Saito, Van den Keybus, Bayram, Piedfort, Alcocer, Ferri.
Sporting Charleroi
Royal Charleroi Sporting Club begin the play-offs in fifth place with 17 points. In their final match of the regular season, coach Hans Cornelis’ side lost 1–0 away at SV Zulte Waregem. Charleroi will only be without defender Massamba Sow due to injury and have no suspended players.
Some players to watch include right-back Kevin Van Den Kerkhof (2 goals, 1 assist), Parfait Guiagon (8 goals, 5 assists) and Aurélien Scheidler (7 goals, 2 assists).
Line-up last matchday (4-3-3): Koné, Gaudin, Keita, Ousou, Blum, Camara, Titraoui, Romsaas, Bernier, Scheidler, Pflücke.
The first leg
Our previous encounter with Charleroi seemed headed for a draw for a long time but produced a dramatic finish. Charleroi started efficiently and took a 0–1 lead around the half-hour mark: after a fine through ball from Guiagon, Van Den Kerkhof finished from a tight angle past Jungdal. KVC Westerlo responded before halftime and equalized through Sayyadmanesh, who calmly converted a penalty (1–1).
After the break, it was mainly the visitors who pushed for a second goal. Attempts from Titraoui and Guiagon brought little danger, while KVC Westerlo also struggled to create chances. A draw seemed inevitable. However, in stoppage time, the decisive moment arrived. Sayyadmanesh beat his defender with a brilliant individual action and delivered a perfect pass to Sakamoto, who slotted home the 2–1 winner. Our Kemphanen thus secured all three points at ’t Kuipje in dramatic fashion.
Did you know…
- Charleroi won the Europe Play-offs last year, then defeated Antwerp and even played in the Conference League qualifiers.
- Our previous win against Charleroi was our first since the 2015–2016 season.
- Since losing at ’t Kuipje on February 22, Charleroi have only picked up 1 point.
- Arthur Piedfort could play his 80th match for KVC Westerlo.
| KVC Westerlo | Sporting Charleroi | |
|---|---|---|
| Ferri (7) | Top scorer | Guiagon (8) |
| 11 (Jungdal) | Clean sheets | 7 (Delavallée: 5, Koné: 2) |
| 36 | Goals scored | 38 |
| 40 | Goals conceded | 42 |
| 48 | Yellow cards | 60 |
| 3 | Red cards | 4 |
Referees
Sunday’s referee is Nathan Verboomen. He will be assisted by Mathias Hillaert and Lennert Jans. The fourth official is Wesli De Cremer, while VAR duties will be handled by Quentin Pirard.
Verboomen has officiated 14 KVC Westerlo matches so far: 3 wins, 5 draws and 6 defeats. The last match he refereed for KVC Westerlo was on matchday 28 this season, when we won 0–1 away at OH Leuven.
