Danijel Milicevic has started his role as an assistant coach at Cercle Brugge. The 40-year-old Swiss-Bosnian former professional will take his first match in this position on Sunday against AA Gent, the club that dismissed him fourteen months ago. This was reported by HLN on 3 September 2026.

Cercle Brugge currently sits 13th in the Jupiler Pro League with 2 points from 4 games. The team is yet to record a victory and has a recent form of LLDD. Having scored 5 goals and conceded 7, the club's goal difference stands at -2. They are already 10 points behind league leaders Charleroi.

Who is new assistant Danijel Milicevic?

Milicevic brings experience in Belgian football, first as a player and later as a coach. He played for clubs including AA Gent and KAS Eupen. At the latter, he was a teammate of current Cercle player Gary Magnée. At Gent, he once shared a dressing room with Hannes Van Der Bruggen. As a coach, he worked with striker Dante Vanzeir. His personal life also has a new chapter. "My little daughter is now one and a half months old and is already sleeping through the night," Milicevic told HLN.

The new assistant has a clear view of his role. "And I myself, with my experience as a player and coach, get to polish the young guys at Cercle in their growth towards the top." Within the staff, he works closely with head of football development George Brown, technical director Luciano Murchio, and CEO Klaas Reynaert. He is also part of an extensive technical team that includes Lars Friis, Jimmy, Wouter, Aurélien, and Albin.

What is Cercle Brugge's situation ahead of this match?

Milicevic's arrival comes during a difficult start to the season for Cercle. The club began the campaign with just two wins from twelve matches across all competitions. The defence urgently needs to become more solid, which you can follow on our stats page. The next chance for points is immediately a major challenge: a home game against AA Gent, who currently sit fourth in the table.

That match takes place on Sunday, 6 September 2026, at the Jan Breydel Stadium. It is a direct confrontation with a team from the upper reaches of the table and a chance for Cercle to break the negative trend. The full schedule for the coming weeks can be found on our fixtures page.

What challenge faces the technical team?

The task for Milicevic and the rest of the staff is clear. They must further develop Cercle Brugge's young core and quickly produce results in the league. The poor start has already increased the pressure. The team needs to learn how to close out games and perform more consistently.

A look at the standings shows how important every point has become. Trailing the leaders, Cercle cannot afford to fall further behind. Integrating Milicevic's experience into daily training is one of the keys to turning this around. His knowledge of the Belgian league and his network could prove valuable.

The first test for the refreshed staff is therefore a personal one for Milicevic. On Sunday, Cercle Brugge hosts AA Gent, the club where his coaching career previously ended. Kick-off is at 18:00.