Club Brugge vs Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk match preview: Europa League QUARTER-FINALS

By admin

Club Brugge play host to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie this week, looking to extend their impressive unbeaten run.

cover23

Sitting at the top of the Belgian Pro League table with just eight games left to play, and comfortably booking their passage into the latter stages of the Europa League, it is fair to say that things are looking good for the Blue-Blacks at this stage.

The Belgian club remain the only side in Europe’s secondary competition yet to have tasted defeat, having cruised through to the final eight, with five wins on the bounce in Europe giving supporters real belief that they can achieve success on two different fronts this term. However, this is the Belgian club’s first appearance at this stage of the tournament since the advent of the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stages, meaning that the weight of history will be bearing down on their shoulders against their Ukrainian opponents.

In contrast to their opponents’ remarkable form on the European stage, Dnipropetrovsk have actually lost just as many games as they have won since the start of the group stage. When you consider that one of those victories came over Tottenham Hotspur, plus a surprise triumph across two legs against Dutch giants Ajax in the last round, then it is fair to say that the Ukrainian outfit should not be written off just yet.

Away form is a big issue, though, because Myron Markevych’s charges have won just one of their seven games on the road in Europe this campaign, something which you feel they will have to change if they are to continue their adventure for another round at least.

Previous meetings

These two sides have met in this competition once before, that fixture coming back in the 2003-04 group stage. Dnipro battled back to prevail 3-2 winners in Dnipropetrovsk on their way to finishing top of the pool, while their opponents crashed out.

That was Dnipro’s only previous meeting against a Belgian club, incidentally, while this week’s home side have won three of their 11 games against Ukrainian clubs. Furthermore, the last of those triumphs came way back in 2001, when they managed to overcome Shakhtar Donetsk at the third qualification stage.

Match facts

  • Club Bruges have won their last 5 matches in UEFA Europa League.
  • There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Club Bruges‘s last5 games in UEFA Europa League.
  • Club Bruges have scored at least 2 goals in their last 5matches in UEFA Europa League.
Europa League QUARTER-FINALS: Club Brugge vs Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk / 16.04.2015 – 21:05CET / Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges

Brugge vs Dinipro