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Anderlecht - Club: the Club Facts

Competition football is back! After Tuesday’s Cup victory against OHL, another big game is coming up – a classic clash is on the menu. We’re heading to Lotto Park for the match against our rivals in purple and white. Will we win the return match as well? Here’s everything you need to know about the game!

The game

The first league match of the new year will be an away game at Lotto Park against RSC Anderlecht. In the 66 seasons since Club Brugge was promoted to the top tier, this will be the sixth time they kick off a calendar year with a duel against RSC Anderlecht. Of the previous five encounters, Club won twice (1988 and 2020), drew once (1969), and lost twice (1981 and 2012).

In the past 10 seasons, Club Brugge started the new calendar year with a win six times, a draw twice, and a loss twice. Sunday's match will mark the 188th First Division clash between both teams. In the previous 93 away matches in Brussels, Club secured 13 wins (most recently 0-1 on May 19, 2024), 31 draws (most recently 1-1 on September 24, 2023), and 49 defeats (most recently 2-1 on April 11, 2021).

This will be the 75th encounter between the two teams in the Jupiler Pro League this century, making it the most frequently played fixture in Belgium’s top division in the 21st century. Club Brugge is currently unbeaten in its last six away matches at Anderlecht (2 wins and 4 draws). This equals the club’s best unbeaten streak in Brussels, set between 1967 and 1973, when they also went six matches without a loss (2 wins and 4 draws). If Club manages to avoid defeat on Sunday, they will set a new record for the longest unbeaten run in Anderlecht’s stadium.

In the last 21 matches between the two teams, Club Brugge has lost only twice against Anderlecht (10 wins and 9 draws). Both defeats came during the regular league season: a 2-1 loss in April 2021 and a 1-2 loss in February 2024. Under head coach Nicky Hayen, Club has yet to drop any points against Anderlecht, winning all three previous encounters.

Earlier this season, Club Brugge also kept the points home against the Brussels side. Romeo Vermant and Chemsdine Talbi were the two Bruges talents who scored the goals for the Blues. In the final stages of the match, Jan-Carlo Simić brought Anderlecht back into the game with a goal, but the match ended in a 2-1 victory for Club Brugge.

Check out the highlights of the first-leg match below:

After two-thirds of the regular season, Club has collected 41 points, and is currently ranked second. That’s one point behind leaders KRC Genk and eight points ahead of third-place RSC Anderlecht. Andreas Skov Olsen remains the team's top scorer, netting his eighth goal of the JPL season in the match against Westerlo.

Hans Vanaken has provided the most assists (6) for the team. The midfielder from Limburg has scored 13 goals against RSC Anderlecht throughout his career, making him the player with the most goals against Anderlecht this century. However, the Bruges captain has not found the net in the last nine encounters against Anderlecht.

Brandon Mechele and Simon Mignolet are two of only nine players in the league who have played every minute of the Jupiler Pro League this season. Former Club Brugge goalkeeper Colin Coosemans is also part of that group, now playing for Anderlecht.

This game is a showdown between the best attack (Club Brugge) and the best defense (RSC Anderlecht) in the Jupiler Pro League. It’s also a meeting between the only two Belgian teams still active on all three fronts (league, Cup, and Europe).

Following their Cup victory against OHL, Club Brugge is now unbeaten in 15 consecutive matches. The last time the team went on a longer unbeaten run was from May to October 2019, when they remained undefeated for 18 matches. Club is also unbeaten in their last eight away league matches (5 wins and 3 draws), their longest streak since January to May 2022, when they went nine away matches unbeaten.

This season, Club Brugge has scored nine times in the first 15 minutes of a match, more than any other team in the league. Meanwhile, they haven’t conceded a goal in the opening quarter-hour since October 2023.

The opponent

On Sunday, Club will visit the Lotto Park for their first away match of the year. RSC Anderlecht is currently ranked third with 33 points. Since mid-September 2024, David Hubert has been the head coach of the Brussels side. Next month, he will celebrate his 37th birthday, making him the youngest coach in the Jupiler Pro League.

Anderlecht ended the year on a low note with zero points from their last two league matches. They lost 2-0 at KRC Genk and suffered a surprising 2-3 home defeat against FCV Dender EH after Christmas. If Anderlecht loses on Sunday, it will be the first time since October 2022 that they suffer three consecutive league defeats—the same month Felice Mazzu was dismissed as their head coach.

Anderlecht scored 17 goals in their last five home matches (an average of 3.4 goals per match). In the Lotto Park, Anderlecht has picked up 18 points out of a possible 30. They won against STVV (1-0), Standard (3-0), KV Kortrijk (4-0), AA Gent (6-0), and Beerschot (2-1), drew against OHL (1-1), Westerlo (2-2), and Charleroi (0-0), and lost against KRC Genk (0-2) and Dender (2-3).

This season, Anderlecht is participating in the revamped UEFA Europe League league stage. After six matchdays, they’ve already accumulated 14 points, securing the third place and guaranteeing progression beyond the league stage. Anderlecht also qualified for the Croky Cup semifinals last Thursday and will face Royal Antwerp next week. Both RSCA and Club have a packed January schedule, with three league matches, two Cup matches, and two European matches on the horizon.

Anderlecht’s top scorer is Danish striker Kasper Dolberg, who has already scored 10 goals in 19 matches. Only Tolu Arokodare (Genk, 13) and Adriano Bertaccini (STVV, 11) have scored more. Anders Dreyer and Mario Stroeykens have each provided four assists, making them the club’s top playmakers.

Former Club Brugge players Colin Coosemans (1,800 minutes) and Mats Rits (1,525 minutes) are among RSCA’s most-used players this season. Coosemans has already kept nine clean sheets, tied for the most in the league alongside Anthony Moris of Union SG.

Anderlecht is on the verge of announcing their first winter transfer. César Huerta, a Mexican left winger, is expected to join from UNAM Pumas in his home country.

Captain Jan Vertonghen, Mario Stroeykens, and Majeed Ashimeru will miss Sunday’s game due to injuries. There are also doubts about the availability of Ludwig Augustinsson and Moussa N’Diaye.

Milestones

  • For Andreas Skov Olsen, it could be his 125th match for Club Brugge!
  • For Ardon Jashari, it could be his 25th match for the club.
  • Hans Vanaken could play his 480th official match for Club Brugge.
  • Simon Mignolet could be goalkeeper for the 270th time at Club.
  • Christos Tzolis could make his 30th appearance for the Blues.
  • Hugo Siquet is waiting for his 10th match at Club Brugge.
  • Brandon Mechele could play his 360th match in the First Division. He has appeared 341 times for Club Brugge and 18 times for STVV.

Statistics

  • First Division: 187 matches, 57 wins for Club, 62 draws, and 68 losses, 243 goals scored and 279 conceded
  • Second Division: 6 matches, 3 wins, 3 losses, 7 goals scored, 12 goals conceded
  • Cup: 12 matches, 7 wins for Club, 0 draws, and 5 losses, 18 goals scored and 22 conceded
  • Supercup: 7 matches, 4 wins for Club, 1 draw, and 2 losses, 12 goals scored and 9 conceded

TOTAL: 212 matches, 71 wins for Club, 63 draws, 78 losses, 280 goals scored and 322 goals conceded

The Man in Black

Mr. Jasper Vergoote has been appointed as the referee for the top match. He will be assisted by assistant referees Mr. Michael Geerolf and Mr. Martijn Tiesters, and fourth official Mr. Kevin Van Damme. Mr. Erik Lambrechts is the VAR, assisted by Mr. Ruben Wyns.

For the 18th time, Mr. Vergoote, who will celebrate his 33rd birthday next week, will referee an official match for Club Brugge. The 10 previous away matches of Club under his supervision ended with 6 wins and 4 losses. Mr. Vergoote was also the referee during the away match in October. This is now the second time he will be the Man in Black for a duel between the two teams.

The referee from West Flanders will whistle his 13th match of RSC Anderlecht. Seven previous home matches of the purple and white with Mr. Vergoote as the referee resulted in 4 wins and 3 draws.

Apart from Club-RSCA, he also refereed Club's home matches in the league this season against Cercle Brugge (3-0), STVV (7-0), and Genk (2-0). For RSCA, he also refereed their home matches in the league against STVV (1-0) and Charleroi (0-0), and in the Cup, the match against Westerlo (4-1).