KVC Westerlo – OH Leuven

This will be the fifteenth edition. Previous results yielded three wins, five draws and six defeats. We have not been able to win any of the last seven encounters at the Kuipje. It is time to break this streak.

Last season

We played each other four times, winning 2-0 in Leuven and drawing the other three matches (1-1, 0-0 and 2-2).

Current season

Leuven are currently in 15th place in the table after nine match days. They won against Dender (0-1) and Standard (1-1), drew twice (both at home) against Charleroi (2-2) and Anderlecht (1-1) and lost against Union, Antwerp, Genk, Zulte Waregem and La Louvière.

With 8 points collected, they are 2 points behind our Kemphanen.

Squads

KVC Westerlo: Jungdal, Reynolds, Bayram, Kimura, Rommens, Haspolat, Piedfort, Sayyadmanesh, Sakamoto, Alcocer, Nacho Ferri, Van Langendonck, Lapage, Bujupi, Cordero, Vaesen, Yow, Fixelles, Mbamba, Van Den Keybus, Annell, Neustädter, Mebude, Sydorchuk, Smekens, Bernat. 

OH Leuven: Leysen, Dussenne, Ominami, Pletinckx, Gil, Lakomy, Schrijvers, Akimoto, Terho, Kaba, Ikwuemesi, Prévot, Nyakossi, Opoku, Verstraete, Maertens, Maziz, Teklab, Mijatovic, Traoré

Goals + Assists KVC Westerlo

1.    Josimar Alcocer – 6

2.    Isa Sakamoto – 5

3.    Nacho Ferri – 4

4.    Emin Bayram – 4

Goals + Assists OHL

1.    Ewoud Pletinckx – 2

2.    Youssef Maziz – 2

3.    8 players – 1

Mutual (known) transfers over the years

Fedde Leysen (Westerlo to OHL in 2018), Toon Raemaekers (Westerlo to OHL in 2018), Kenneth Schuermans (Westerlo to OHL in 2017), Matthias Trenson (Westerlo to OHL in 2014), Arno Verschueren (OHL to Westerlo in 2014 and Westerlo to OHL in 2012), Gunther Vanaudenaerde (Westerlo to OHL in 2012), Wouter Scheelen (Westerlo to OHL in 2010) and Boy-Boy Mosia (Westerlo to OHL in 2005)

Referee

Lothar D’Hondt, who a few days ago refereed the Dynamo Kyiv vs Crystal Palace match (0-2) at the Lublin Arena in Poland as part of the Conference League. On Belgian soil, he has officiated in five matches this season, including OHL vs Genk (1-2) on match day 4.

This will be his ninth visit to the Kuipje. It started in 2017 against Lierse (0-1), and a year later he was seen in three matches: Lierse (6-0) with Daan Heymans’ hat-trick, Tubeke (1-1) and KV Mechelen (0-3). In 2019, he refereed against Eupen (1-0) and in 2023, he only refereed top matches on Kempisch soil: Club Brugge (0-0), Antwerp (0-3) and Anderlecht (1-3).

Additional information

Kick-off: Sunday, 5 October, 7:15 p.m.

Weather forecast: cloudy with 12°C, wind chill 10°C.

78% chance of rain (0.4 mm) in the first half.

Second half expected to remain dry.