Cercle Brugge face a tough assignment on Saturday afternoon in the Jupiler Pro League with an away match against in-form Charleroi. The team coached by Miron Muslic is yet to win this season and sits 15th in the table with just three points from six matches.
The recent results for Cercle Brugge have been poor. In their last five league games, the Green and Blacks have managed only two draws and three defeats. The run started with a 3-3 draw against STVV, followed by a 1-0 loss to city rivals Club Brugge. That was followed by a 0-1 defeat to Lommel United, a 0-3 home loss to Gent, and a 1-1 draw away to OH Leuven last weekend. In that match, Krys-Anthony Madou Kouassi salvaged a point from the penalty spot in the dying seconds.
They face a Charleroi side in excellent form. The Zebras are fourth and have won their last five league matches in a row. The last meeting between the two sides, in February of this year, did produce a spectacular 4-3 victory for Cercle Brugge. To repeat that feat, a defence that has already conceded eleven goals will need to be significantly more solid.
Muslic is likely to rely on the core that played last weekend. Goalkeeper Gaëtan Coucke will start, with a defence of Emmanuel Kakou, Gedeon Kondo and Robert Caicedo. The midfield engine room consists of Ibrahima Diakité, Gaëtan Magnée, Luka Mondele and Victor Konaté. The attack is led by Erick, Dante Vanzeir and Souleymane Ngoura.
A win is vital to climb away from the lower reaches of the standings. Full preparation and current squad information is available on the club page. The match at the Stade du Pays de Charleroi kicks off on Saturday at 18:15 local time.
