On matchday 2 of the Champions' Play-Offs, Blauw-Zwart take on Antwerp at the Bosuil Stadium. Get ready for this fixture with our Club Facts!
The match
Blauw-Zwart return to action in the Champions’ Play-Offs this Sunday with a trip to the Bosuil to face Royal Antwerp FC – a clash between the two most recent Belgian champions.
This fixture marks the 177th meeting between the sides – a historic rivalry dating back to March 1896, making it the longest-standing match-up in Belgian top-flight football. From the previous 88 trips to Antwerp, Club have recorded 29 wins, 25 draws and 34 defeats.
Earlier this campaign, Club Brugge suffered a bitter 2-1 defeat at the Bosuil. Hans Vanaken gave Blauw-Zwart the lead in the first half, but two late goals saw the hosts snatch all three points.
Last season, however, Club came away with a 1-2 win in the play-offs – their only victory from the last four visits to The Great Old. The other three encounters ended in defeat.
Christos Tzolis enters the weekend level with Hans Vanaken and Gustaf Nilsson as Club’s top scorer, with nine goals apiece. The Greek forward netted the opening goal of the season in the Supercup, and also opened the scoring in last weekend’s play-off clash against Anderlecht.
Should Club Brugge find the net again on Sunday, it would mark the 30th consecutive league match in which they’ve scored – a feat only twice bettered in the club’s history:
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49 straight (Mar 2002 – Oct 2003)
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41 straight (Jan 2004 – Mar 2005)
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29 straight (Aug 2024 – present)
...and 29 straight (Apr 1997 – Mar 1998)
At the back, Brandon Mechele remains the only outfield player in the Jupiler Pro League to have played every single minute of the season so far.
The opposition
Antwerp will be looking to bounce back following a bruising 5-1 defeat at Union Saint-Gilloise on the opening matchday. It was the first time they’d conceded five goals in a league game since a 5-1 loss at Club Brugge in December 2018.
That result leaves Antwerp fifth in the table with 23 points. Should the standings remain unchanged, they would face a European play-off against the winner of the Europe Play-Offs after the post-season.
Despite recent form, Antwerp have been a consistent presence in the Champions’ Play-Offs. Only Club Brugge (15 seasons) have a longer unbroken run of appearances. This marks Antwerp’s sixth straight campaign in the top-four mini-league, having finished: first (2023), third (2021), fourth (2019, 2022) and sixth (2024).
Tjaronn Chery leads the scoring charts for Antwerp with 11 goals, while Vincent Janssen has provided six assists, making them the most productive attacking duo for The Great Old.
Ahead of the play-offs, Antwerp parted ways with head coach Jonas De Roeck. He has been succeeded by Andries Ulderink, the 55-year-old Dutchman who previously served as assistant under Mark van Bommel from 2022 to 2024.
Antwerp are winless in their last five home matches in the Jupiler Pro League, drawing three and losing two.
Milestones
- Ferran Jutglà could make his 140th appearance for Club Brugge.
Jorne Spileers is eyeing up his 50th league match for Blauw-Zwart.
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Chemsdine Talbi and Christos Tzolis could feature in their 30th league appearances for the Club.
Match officials
The man in the middle for Sunday’s encounter will be Lothar D’Hondt, assisted by Romain Devillers and Nico Claes. Jasper Vergoote is on fourth official duties, while Jan Boterberg oversees VAR alongside Lennert Jans and Christophe Snoeck.
The East Flanders referee will be taking charge of a Club Brugge match for the 25th time. Under his watch, previous meetings between Antwerp and Club ended in a 1-0 win and a 0-0 draw.