Last night, ten European clubs entered the final stage of the UEFA Champions League qualification. One of the most anticipated matches will take place at Manchester's "Old Trafford" stadium, where the teams of "Manchester United" and "Club Brugge" will clash. The home team is well known to everyone and does not need a big introduction, so in this article we will focus on their opponents.
Last season
Last season brought mixed emotions to the Belgians from Bruges. After playing three-quarters of the season the best football in their country's division, leaders often lost the title unexpectedly to "Ghent" due to the unforgiving system. Before the crucial stage of the championship, splitting the points of the top six championship teams in half, "Club Brugge" lost their lead over the nearest rivals from 4 points to 2. That was enough for "Ghent" footballers to sensationally win their first "Pro League" championship title, while "Club Brugge" had to settle for the Belgian Cup. Meanwhile, in the UEFA Europa League, the journey of the "blue-black" surprised many. An interesting fact - "Club Brugge" was the last team to lose at least one match in a European tournament last season. Until the quarterfinals against the "Dnipro" team, the club marched in Europe without a single defeat. However, the loss to the Ukrainians was greatly disappointing, especially considering the fact that "Dnipro" managed to reach the final later. Team leader - Victor Vazquez
After the departures of Carlos Bacca and Maxime Lestienne, "Club Brugge" no longer has prominent attacking stars, making it difficult to identify the team's leader. Perhaps the biggest star now is the Spaniard Victor Vazquez. He is a member of the legendary generation born in 1987 from the "Barcelona" youth academy, who played in the same youth teams with Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, and Cesc Fabregas. According to the latter, V. Vazquez was the most talented of the four at a young age - he has had a football agent since he was nine years old. Although V. Vazquez has not reached the heights of his former teammates at the "Barcelona" club, after leaving Catalonia, he quickly became the main creative force in the center of the "Club Brugge" midfield.
Bruges soul - Timmy Simons
When Timmy Simons returned to his former club in 2013, coach Michel Preud'homme immediately entrusted him with the captain's armband. This decision was entirely understandable. T. Simons is a true leader on the field, inspiring his teammates both by his tireless work ethic and by leading them.
Even at the age of 38, he is among the players who run the most kilometers during matches, and he also excels in penalty kicks.
Problematic goalkeeper position
Perhaps the hardest blow to the Bruges team this summer was the departure of their main goalkeeper Matthew Ryan to the "Valencia" club. The Australian had been one of the best goalkeepers in the "Pro League" for the past two seasons, so replacing him is a very difficult task. Furthermore, at the beginning of the summer, "Club Brugge" acquired Sebastien Bruzzese, but he was bought as a backup goalkeeper. M. Ryan was sold just before the start of the season, so the club had to act quickly. They rented the not-so-in-form "Porto" goalkeeper Sinan Bolat, but he arrived and got injured, so S. Bruzzese has been guarding the team's goal from the beginning of the season. He should defend the team's goal at "Old Trafford", but he has not yet earned the trust of the fans to be the main "Club Brugge" goalkeeper.
How will "Bruges" lineup?
M. Preud'homme has many injury problems. Important players like Lior Refaelov, Felipe Gedoz, Thomas Meunier, Jose Izquierdo, Stefano Denswil, Bjorn Engels, and Sander Coopman cannot play. However, "Club Brugge" has a deep bench of substitutes, and despite the injuries, they will field a strong enough team at "Old Trafford". In such cases, youth must be called in. Striker Obbi Oulare is considered a promising talent on a European level, but it is likely that M. Preud'homme will trust the experienced Tom De Sutter more. The 20-year-old attacking winger Tuur Dierckx, who is visibly improving, has a greater chance of stepping onto the field from the first minutes. The predicted lineup for "Club Brugge" in the match against "Manchester United":
