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Club - Cercle: the Club Facts

Jupiler Pro League

Our 63rd and final match of the season is a very special one. In the City derby tonight, Club can crown itself the national champion for the nineteenth time. You can read all about the home game against Cercle in the Club Facts!

The Match

Tonight, Club plays Cercle for the 158th time in the highest soccer league. Of the previous 78 home matches, FCB won 48, drew 18 and lost 12. The last 10 home matches did not lose to our city rival.

Club enters the City derby as the leader with 49 points. Union and Anderlecht follow on three points, but will finish above Club in the event of a tie after a higher final ranking in the regular league. Provided a win or draw, Club thus captures its 19th national title in history. In the event of a defeat, it must hope for point losses to Union and Anderlecht. To win a title on the last matchday, that has been Club's history since 1920.

In this edition of the Champions' Play-Offs, Club did not lose yet and took 23/27. Only on match day 1 against Cercle and match day 8 against Union could not win. If Club wins, FCB equals Standard's record of 26/30 in Play-Off I / Champions' Play-Offs. Not losing means Club - including the last game at Union last season - has been unbeaten for 11 consecutive playoff games. That, too, would be a record.

Hans Vanaken and Brandon Mechele hoist themselves to the head of an illustrious string of Club legends in the event of a new national title. After all, the pair can take their sixth national title as Club players tonight. For now, they share the record of five national titles with Blue-Black icons such as Birger Jensen, Franky Van der Elst and Ruud Vormer.

Top shooter for Club with 18 league goals is still Igor Thiago. Unfortunately, the Brazilian striker will not be present against Cercle due to an injury he sustained against Union. Skov Olsen follows with 14 goals. Maxim De Cuyper managed his tenth assist of the JPL season against Anderlecht, leading the Bruges ranking. The last time a Club player reached double figures with assists was Noa Lang in 2021/22.

Opponent.

Cercle Brugge is tonight's guest for a high-stakes City derby. The Association is already sure of fifth place, which entitles them to a barrague match against KAA Gent for European soccer. But Groen-Zwart can also still finish fourth, for that it has to beat KRC Genk against Union. Fourth place entitles them to a ticket to the preliminary rounds of the Europa League. In their history they have only managed to reach European soccer four times, the last time being in 2010/11.

This season Cercle made it to the Champions' Play-Offs for the first time. In their debut season in the Champions' Round, they achieved 1.33 points/game. Only five clubs did better in their first participation in POI.

In away games, Cercle lost only once this playoffs, 3-0 on the field of RSCA. Furthermore, it went on to win at Union (2-3) and Antwerp (1-2) and played a draw at KRC Genk (1-1).

Top shooter is Kévin Denkey with 27 goals, including 4 in POI. With no major surprises, he will soon grab the top shooter title in the Jupiler Pro League. The last Cercle striker to succeed was Josip Weber (31 goals in 1993/94). Alan Minda is assist king with 7. Goalkeeper Warleson has already kept his nets clean 11 times this season.

Milestones

  • Maxim De Cuyper may play his 60th match for Club Brugge.
  • Éder Balanta is facing his 100th league match with Club.
  • Philip Zinkernagel can play his 30th league match with FCB.
  • For Kyriani Sabbe, it could be the 25th match in the Jupiler Pro League with Blue-Black.

The referee

Mr. Jonathan Lardot is in charge of the match this evening, assisted by linesmen Quentin Blaise and Florian Lemaire. Kevin Van Damme is fourth official.

Nicolas Laforge will take the honors as VAR, flanked by Vito Vincenzo and Carlos-Manuel Serra Guerreiro Alho.

For Lardot, it is the 42nd time he has whistled a Club match. The previous 20 home matches under his direction ended in 13 wins and seven draws. 28 times previously, the 40-year-old ref has been in charge of the match at a Cercle away match (3W, 1D, 12L).

This season he also refereed during Cercle - Club in the regular league (1-1) and in the Champions' Play-Offs he whistled Club - RSCA (3-1) and Club - Union (2-2).