Club Brugge will miss a permanent fixture in the top match on the KRC Genk field on Friday. Brandon Mechele dropped out before half-time in the match against Ghent with an injury and his presence in the Cegeka Arena seems almost impossible.
The 32-year-old defender has been irreplaceable for blue and black so far and has been on the field in all 32 games this season. However, he had to sit down twice against AA Gent, after which a substitution became inevitable. Jorne Spileers replaced him.
Mechele suffered an injury to the calf. The severity of the injury remains to be seen, but the match in Genk will anyway come too early for the experienced defender.
Trainer Ivan Leko hopes that the damage will not be too bad, but also knows that he has to switch gears. The options at the back are not that wide and it seems clear who will play.
Due to Mechele’s injury, Spileers gets his chance at Club Brugge
Everything indicates that Spileers is the first option to replace Mechele. The 20-year-old youth product made a solid impression in his previous appearances and currently seems to be further ahead than Vince Osuji. Zaid Romero remains out of the picture for the time being.
There is also positive news for Club. Christos Tzolis would normally be available again in Genk. For the rest, Leko will only be able to recover additional pawns from the infirmary after New Year.
Worth a look
