Club - RSCA: Club Facts

After the City derby against Cercle, it is time for the home game against Anderlecht on matchday two of the Champions' Play-Offs. Once again, the match promises to bring plenty of excitement, with the No. 3 and No. 2 sides facing each other. Find out all about the topper with the Club Facts!

The game

Sunday already sees Club play its 25th home game of the season, and it also marks the start of an important triptych at home. On Thursday, Greece's PAOK visits for the outward match in the 1/4th final in the UECL, next Sunday we host Antwerp for another topper.

Since time immemorial Club - Anderlecht has been a top affair, so it should come as no surprise that no other confrontation has taken place as often as Blauw-Zwart vs Paars-Wit. Only last season there was no duel between the two teams in the Play-Offs, when Anderlecht, with an 11th place, had no claim to participate in the final competition.

Eight of the last 11 mutual duels ended undecided. The last time Club won at home against the capitalists dates back to 30 October 2020, when it finished 3-0. In the Play-Offs, Club has meanwhile been unbeaten against RSCA for five years, but in recent years more often than not a winner emerged in the topper.

In the Jupiler Pro League, Blauw-Zwart is on an impressive run in which it managed to score 14 games in a row. A goal against Anderlecht thus means 15 consecutive games in the league in which Club can score.

Igor Thiago (16 goals) and Maxim De Cuyper (7 assists) are still the primuses of Bruges' class. Skov Olsen netted his 11th league goal against Cercle.

The opponent 

RSC Anderlecht is thus the opponent Sunday. Purple-White ended the regular league seven points behind leader Union, but crept closer after the first matchday of the Champions' Play-Offs. After halving the points, Anderlecht won over Antwerp and Union was trounced by Racing Genk. Anderlecht now has 35 points, eight more than Club and Genk (27). 

Purple and White could only win two of their last 15 away matches in the play-offs (D4 L9): a 1-2 win at Club in 2018 and a 0-4 win at Antwerp in 2022.

This season, however, Anderlecht are faring better. Coach Brian Riemer's team won seven of their last eight duels in the Jupiler Pro League. Only an unexpected 0-1 home defeat against KV Kortrijk on the last matchday interrupted the series.

Anders Dreyer is still top marksman and assistant king for his team: he scored 15 times and handed out eight assists. Francis Amuzu made his comeback against Antwerp after a long period of injury.

Milestones

A lot of players face a nice milestone at Club: 

• Bjorn Meijer can play his 80th match for Club Brugge.
• Maxim De Cuyper can play his 50th match for Blauw-Zwart.
• For Kyriani Sabbe, it could be his 25th match in a Blauw-Zwart squad.
• Hugo Vetlesen can play his 30th league match at Club.
• Michał Skóraś can finish his 20th league match at FCB.

The referee

Jonathan Lardot was appointed ref for the topper. The linesmen are Quentin Blaise and Laurent Conotte. Nathan Verboomen is the fourth ref.

In Tubize, Nicolas Laforge will do the honours as VAR, assisted by Vito Di Vincenzo and Carlos-Manuel Serra Guerreito Alho.

It is the 40th time Lardot will lead an official match at Club. The 40-year-old ref whistled Club's home match (12W 6D) 18 times previously.

Earlier this season, he led Club's regular-season away derby against Cercle (1-1) and home matches against KRC Genk (1-1), KAA Gent (2-0) and KV Kortrijk (3-3). Of Purple White, Lardot already led 43 official matches. 22 of them were an away game (9W 8D 5L).

Lardot whistled two previous duels between the two clubs. Both the away game in 2019 and the home game in 2021 ended in a 2-2 draw.