Union Saint-Gilloise – Brugge

Belgian league leaders to take revenge on Bruges in cup return leg

Union St Gillois approaches the return semi-final match of the national cup in a great mood. Not only does the team feel great in the Belgian championship, but now they have added to their successes with a successful start in the Conference League play-offs. In the penultimate round of the Cup Union got through three rounds. In the 1/16 finals, the second team defeated amateur team Meux 2-1. In the next round, the hosts of the upcoming match surprisingly passed Beveren. The opponents managed to score only on 90+3 and 90+5 minutes, but not without his participation - as a result of two goals. Finally, in the quarter-finals, Union St Gillois confidently beat Anderlecht after playing in the penalty shoot-out for over an hour (2:1). Brugge in the current season looks much weaker than the upcoming opponent, but the perennial leader of national football reached the semi-finals of the Cup almost without adventures. In the 1/16 finals Brugge left no stone unturned against Beerschot (6:0), then "overlooked" Syltet-Varegem (4:0). In the quarter-finals Brugge faced Ghent, played with him on equal terms, but scored the only goal of the match through Igor Thiago. The first semi-final match between the rivals could have ended with more problems for Union St Gillois. At the end of the main time the team was losing 0:2 away, but managed to get one goal back shortly before the final whistle. Bookmakers have identified the home team as the favourites for the upcoming game, offering odds of 2.10 on their victory. In the first half of February, the Belgian league leader made several misfires, focusing on the upcoming Conference League play-offs. However, the last two weeks have been successful for Union St Gillois, with two wins in the league and a win over Eintracht Frankfurt, which sent the Belgians out of the tournament. In the national league Brugge is twenty points behind its upcoming opponent in the cup semi-final. The club have picked up just one point from the last two rounds, losing to Anderlecht and drawing with Cercle Brugge. In the stretch of the last eight head-to-head meetings, Union St-Gillois have never lost to Brugge twice in a row. Nor will it lose this time.