RSC Anderlecht and Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) face almost impossible tasks in their second-leg matches in the Europa League play-offs for a place in the round of 16 after suffering heavy defeats last week.
Anderlecht is up against Turkish giants Fenerbahçe and lost 3-0 in Istanbul last week. David Hubert’s team needs to score many goals in the return match at home (21:00) to keep their European dreams alive.
After finishing tenth in the competition phase, just missing out on a ticket to the round of 16, elimination in the play-offs would be particularly bitter for Anderlecht. Fenerbahçe was the 24th and last team to secure their place in the play-offs.
Anderlecht's players pictured during a training session of Belgian football team RSC Anderlecht, on Wednesday 19 February 2025 in Brussels. Credit: Belga
USG takes on Ajax in their play-off match. They lost the first leg 2-0 at home at the King Baudouin Stadium, where the poor pitch conditions were a major talking point.
Ajax’s 16-year-old Belgian prodigy Jorthy Mokio scored a goal. Sébastien Pocognoli’s team needs a remarkable performance at the Johan Cruijff ArenA (9 pm) to advance. Union finished 21st in the competition phase, while Ajax finished twelfth.
In the Conference League, AA Gent faces a tough challenge against Spain’s Real Betis. The Buffaloes lost 3-0 at home in the first leg and now need an extraordinary performance in Seville (6:45 pm) to overturn the deficit.
Unlike the eight matchdays in the Champions League and Europa League, the Conference League competition phase had only six matchdays and ended in December.
Gent finished seventeenth, while Betis came in fifteenth. Cercle Brugge, the other Belgian team in the Conference League, secured a direct spot in the round of 16 by finishing eighth.
