Saturday evening, on matchday 13, Club Brugge will once again play a home match in the Jupiler Pro League after two consecutive away games. The opponent is FCV Dender, who travel to the Jan Breydel Stadium for the seventh encounter between both teams.
THE GAME
Club are still unbeaten at home against FCV Dender. Of the three previous duels at Jan Breydel, Club won two – including a convincing 4–1 victory on November 30, 2024 – and drew once (1–1 in September 2008). Last season, Blue-Black took 6 points out of 6 against the East Flemish side: at the Dender Football Complex, it won 1–2 thanks to goals from Gustaf Nilsson and Christos Tzolis. In the home match, Dender took the lead first through Roman Květ, but Club turned things around before halftime with goals from Ferran Jutglà and Andreas Skov Olsen. In the final minutes, Chemsdine Talbi sealed the result with two goals: it ended 4–1.
Offensively, things are looking good. Club scored in 11 of the 12 league games — the highest number in the Jupiler Pro League — while Dender scored in only five matches. With 26 points from 12 matchdays, Club is enjoying its best league start in six seasons. Last week they won at the Bosuil, firmly holding second place and securing three points for the fourth week in a row.
Christos Tzolis continues to shine in the competition. He is not only Club’s top scorer with four goals, but also the assist leader with three decisive passes. Together with Romeo Vermant, who also scored twice in the last four league games, he forms a dangerous attacking duo.
Club also impressed in the Croky Cup. Last Wednesday, Dani van den Heuvel, Vince Osuji, Alejandro Granados, and Samuel Gomez Van Hoogen made their debuts in the 6–1 victory over Eendracht Aalst Lede. In the round of 16 early December, an away match against OH Leuven awaits.
THE OPPONENT
After twelve matchdays, FCV Dender EH are still looking for their first win in the Jupiler Pro League. With four points, the club sits at the bottom of the ranking as the red lantern, five points behind OH Leuven. Dender collected only two points from six away matches. Still, there were a few bright spots, such as draws against Standard (1–1) and KVC Westerlo (1–1). The other away matches were lost against STVV (2–0), Charleroi (3–1), Gent (3–0), and Genk (2–1).
The club also went through a turbulent period off the pitch. Coach Vincent Euvrard was lured away by Standard, after which Dender appointed Hayk Milkon as the new head coach. Milkon, 32 years old and of Armenian descent, spent four seasons at Club Brugge, including as coach of Club NXT U18, Club NXT U23, and since January 2024 as assistant of the first team under Ronny Deila and Nicky Hayen. In early September, he was given the chance to take on his first head coaching role at FCV Dender.
On the pitch, Bruny Nsimba is currently the most accurate goalscorer with two goals. Assists came from Luc De Fougerolles, Fabio Ferraro, and Marsoni Sambu. During the summer transfer window, Dender saw several key players leave, including Aurélien Scheidler, Joedrick Pupe, Gilles Ruyssen, Lennard Hens, and Dembo Sylla. At the same time, reinforcements were brought in, including defenders Luc Marijnissen, Marsoni Sambu, Luc De Fougerolles and Benjamin Fredrick, midfielder Roman Květ, and striker David Toshevski.
Although Dender scored only five goals — the lowest total of any team in the league — there are signs of improvement: they scored in each of their last three league matches. In the Croky Cup, the team also advanced to the round of 16 last Tuesday, though it required extra time to defeat second-division side Olympic Charleroi 4–2.
THE MILESTONES
- Hugo Vetlesen is waiting for his 70th league match for Blue-Black.
- Cisse Sandra could play his 25th league match for Club Brugge.
THE MAN IN BLACK
Saturday evening’s match between Club Brugge and FCV Dender EH will be officiated by referee Mr. Kevin Van Damme. The West-Flemish official has been refereeing at the highest level in Belgium since 2018, but has not yet taken charge of a match between these two teams.
Mr. Van Damme will be assisted by linesmen Mr. Lennert Jens and Mr. Nick Senecaut, while Mr. Dunken Van de Velde serves as fourth official. In the VAR center, Mr. Laurent Willems takes charge, supported by Mr. Vito Di Vincenzo and Mr. Glenn Claes.
For Club Brugge, Mr. Van Damme is no stranger: he has officiated ten official matches for Blue-Black. The last four home matches with him as a referee yielded two wins, one draw, and one defeat.