Club Brugge and Union SG will have a chance to secure their first piece of silverware for the 2024-25 season when they face off in the Belgian Super Cup on Saturday evening.
The hosts and winners of the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League have won this title a record 17 times ahead of Anderlecht and Standard, while the visitors are making their first-ever appearance in this competition.
Match preview
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These two played the starring roles in what was a gripping 2023-24 Pro League season, which came down to the final day, where Club Brugge managed a nervy goalless draw against Cercle Brugge to edge Union SG to the title by a single point.
That result completed an incredible comeback in the title race for the Blauw-Zwart, who were 19 points behind Union in March when the club opted to part ways with Ronny Deila following a 2-1 loss to STVV.
Nicky Hayen, who was in charge of the club's reserve team at the time, was appointed as the senior team's caretaker boss but transformed the ailing squad into a winning machine, while Union and Anderlecht dropped points in the title race.
After being given the head coach role in June, Hayen is yet to taste defeat, with his side playing out back-to-back 1-1 draws against Knokke and PSV Eindhoven before beating Championship outfit Norwich City in their final pre-season friendly earlier this week.
Club Brugge went unbeaten against this opponent last term, drawing 2-2 at home and beating them 2-1 at Stade Joseph Marien in the regular season before a crucial 2-2 draw in the Championship round.
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Meanwhile, Union Saint-Gilloise dominated the majority of the 2023-24 regular season only to let it slip in in the playoffs, which saw them pass up yet another chance to win their first top-flight title since 1935.
However, Koki Machida's goal in the Belgian Cup final was enough to secure a 1-0 victory against Antwerp, earning the side their first piece of silverware in almost 90 years and their first Belgian Cup since the 1913-14 season.
Union will also enter the 2024-25 season with a new boss at the helm after the club and Karel Geraerts failed to reach an agreement on new contract terms. German tactician Alexander Blessin was appointed to help build on their recent rise to the top of Belgian football for the foreseeable future.
Blessin has enjoyed a very positive start to life in Saint-Gilles, overseeing four consecutive pre-season friendly victories and a 2-2 draw against Primeira Liga champions Sporting Lisbon on Monday afternoon.
Aside from the change in leadership, Les Unionistes have also seen the departure of a few key players, including Gustaf Nilsson, who is likely to line up against them on Saturday after completing a move to the league champions last month.
Team News
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Nilsson made an instant impression upon his arrival in Brugge, as it took him just eight minutes to score his first goal for his new employers in the 3-0 win over the Canaries earlier this week.
Casper Nielsen, another former Union player, had a solid pre-season, scoring the opener against PSV last week, and he could line up alongside Hugo Vetlesen in midfield against his former club this weekend.
Aside from the departure of Blessin and Nilsson this summer, Union have also parted ways with Algerian rising star Mohamed Amoura, who was snapped up by Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg.
However, there have also been notable incomings, including Anouar Ait El Hadj on a four-year contract and Vic Chambaere and Kamiel Van De Perre, both recruited from Genk's Under-23s.
Additionally, Israeli fullback Anan Khalaili from Maccabi Haifa and 22-year-old Ghanaian striker Mohammed Fuseini, formerly of Sturm Graz, are both in line for their first competitive matchups in Belgium following their arrival at Parc Duden this summer.
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Romero, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Nielsen, Vetlesen; Olsen, Vanaken, Onyedika; Nilsson
Union SG possible starting lineup:
Moris; Mac Allister, Burgess, Khalaili; Castro-Montes, Rasmussen, Vanhoutte, Puertas, Teklab, Eckert, Fuseini
We say: Club Brugge 2-1 Union SG
After a sensational comeback to win the title last term and a solid pre-season this year, Club Brugge will enter this contest with huge confidence in their chances to win back the Super Cup after relinquishing a three-season hold on it in the last edition.
This will be the first real test for Union's new head coach and summer arrivals, and we feel they will need a few more matches before they find top gear to challenge the Blauw-Zwart.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
