Tonight’s two games could not be more different. The first, Ghent-Standard Liege, brings together two teams from Belgium’s “big five”; the second features a couple of sides that spend most of their time in the shadows and rest just beyond that area.
A few weeks ago, Ghent defeated Standard Liege 4-1 in the league, but times have changed. Now the visitors can call on Sinan Bolat, Steven Defour, Meme Tchite and Franck Berrier. Liege will probably go with a five-man midfield with Defour and Jelle Van Damme given defensive duties in front of the back four. Ghent coach Francky Drury continually rotates his squad and they play Anderlecht on Sunday. However, tonight’s team is likely to feature Yassine El Ghanassy and Ivory Coast newcomer Yaya Soumahoro on the flanks. Liege will be happy with a draw in the first leg.
The other tie features two of the most popular coaches in the league: Westerlo’s Jan Ceulemans and Cercle Brugge’s Bob Peeters. Ceulemans – a genuine legend at the Jan Breydel stadium – was Club Brugge’s coach for a short period before being unceremoniously dumped, after which he returned to coaching duties at his previous club Westerlo. Peeters is new to the game, but he does have two years as a player at Millwall on his cv. Both sides lack stars, although there are high hopes for Cercle Brugge’s Reynaldo, if and when he returns to Anderlecht after his loan spell. Cercle also feature ex-Anderlecht striker Oleg Iachtchouk and – occasionally – Irish striker Dominic Foley. Westerlo’s main man is Brazilian Paulo Henrique, often linked with Standard Liege, and there’s also another Anderlecht loaner: Olek Iakovenko. Expect the last-named and Reynaldo to feature heavily in the two legs as they have a lot to play for in terms of returning home soon. Whichever side gets to the final, it will be a big day for their fans.