On Saturday, September 13, Club Brugge will face RAAL La Louvière at 8:30 p.m. You can read everything about the match here in the Club Facts!
The match
After the international break, Club Brugge returns to action with a match against promoted side RAAL La Louvière in the brand-new Easi Arena. It will be the very first encounter with this club, which was only founded in 2017. Against the former RAA Louviéroise, which ceased to exist in 2009, the Blues already played 18 times in the First Division. After six matchdays, with one postponed fixture still to be played, Club sits fourth with ten points, four behind leaders Union and STVV.
For Club Brugge, this will be the tenth league trip to La Louvière, although the previous meetings all took place in the old Tivoli stadium. The Hainaut side never had much success there against Club, since the Blues have never lost an away league game: six wins and three draws. The last five away matches against the Wolves even all ended in victories. In total, Saturday will mark the 25th official encounter between the two teams.
After six matchdays (with one match still to be rescheduled), Club sits fourth with ten points, four behind leaders Union and STVV. In the stats, Christos Tzolis and Hans Vanaken emerge as top scorers with two league goals each. Together with Brandon Mechele, they have played every single minute of the season so far. Another notable stat: only KRC Genk averages more Belgian starters per match (7) than Club Brugge (6.2).
One final fact: Club has not lost any of its last eight away matches against newly promoted teams (six wins and two draws). The last defeat against a newcomer dates back to October 2020, when OH Leuven proved too strong with a 2-1 win.
The opponent
On Saturday, Club Brugge travels to the Easi Arena, the country’s newest stadium. The modern home of RAAL La Louvière was inaugurated on June 28, has a capacity of 8,050 spectators, and features an artificial pitch.
On the sidelines stands a familiar figure in Frédéric Taquin. The 50-year-old coach has led the club since its very beginning and guided the Wolves to four promotions in eight seasons, from the Third Amateur Division all the way to the Jupiler Pro League. In their first six matches in the top flight, the Hainaut side collected four points, good enough for 14th place in the standings.
The season started with two defeats against Standard (0-2) and KAA Gent (1-0), but RAAL quickly caused some surprises. First, they beat Sporting Charleroi 1-0, then followed it up with a goalless draw against reigning champions Union SG. Just before the international break, however, the team let a win slip away at KV Mechelen: a 1-2 lead turned into a 3-2 loss in the closing stages.
In terms of goals, Oucasse Mendy is currently the only true scorer with one goal to his name, assisted by Wagane Faye. Remarkably, three of RAAL’s four goals so far were own goals by the opposition. Étienne Camara (Charleroi), Ortwin De Wolf, and Redouane Halhal (both Mechelen) all accidentally put the ball in their own net.
This summer, the club said goodbye to defenders Victor Corneille and Hady Camara, and attackers Fadel Gobitaka, Adrien Bongiovanni, Kenny Nagera, and Ivann Botella. In their place came a wide mix of reinforcements: goalkeeper Célestin De Schrevel (KAA Gent), defenders Darío Belavides (Sevilla), Thierry Lutonda (PEC Zwolle), Yllan Okou (Bastia), and Matthis Riou (Guingamp), midfielders Alexis Beka Beka (Caen), Lucas Bretelle (Orléans), and Noah Makembo-Ntemo (Standard), and attackers Jerry Afriyie (on loan from Al-Qadsiah), Oucasse Mendy (Martigues), Mouhamed Belkheir (Fortuna Sittard), and Pape Moussa Fall (on loan from Metz).
Despite all the newcomers, a few mainstays remain. Wagane Faye, Sami Lahssaini, Djibril Lamego, Maxence Maisonneuve, and goalkeeper Marcos Peano have not missed a single minute this season for the promoted side.
Milestones
Several Club Brugge players could reach personal milestones this weekend:
- Romeo Vermant could play his 60th match for the Blues.
- Hugo Vetlesen is on course for his 70th league appearance for Club Brugge.
- Gustaf Nilsson is nearing a milestone too: he could make his 30th appearance in the Jupiler Pro League for Club.
- Finally, Hugo Siquet could reach his 25th league match.
The Man in Black
This match will be officiated by Mr. Bert Put. He will be assisted by assistant referees Mr. Bryan Bijnens and Mr. Ben Gonnissen. Mr. Matonga Simonini will serve as fourth official. Mr. Kevin Van Damme will take on the role of VAR, supported by Mr. Lennert Jans.
The 37-year-old referee is now in his ninth season in the Jupiler Pro League and will be overseeing an official Club Brugge match for the eighth time. The clash between RAAL La Louvière and the Blues will also mark the 130th match he has refereed in Belgium’s top division.