KVC Westerlo vs Standard Liège: result, lineups and stats

KVC Westerlo

Ismail Charai has two positions to fill and a run of results that invites him to change more than that. Westerlo have taken four points from five matches and conceded five, three and four in three of them, and the only bright spot was the 4-0 win at KV Mechelen last time out.

The right-back place has swung back to Lasse Flo, who played better there than Lucas Mbamba across the recent games and started at Mechelen while Mbamba did not play at all. Mbamba won 35 per cent of his duels in four appearances, the weakest return of any defender in the squad. Alongside Cisse Sandra in midfield, Ibrahim Fofana has four starts to Reda Laalaoui's two, with little to separate them.

Shunsuke Saito is the one player carrying an attacking threat, with three goals from six shots on the left. Norman Bassette has started all five up front and been substituted in every one of them, the last time on 68 minutes. Dogucan Haspolat is out with an ankle injury.

Standard Liège

Right-back remains a shared job at Standard Liège between Marlon Fossey and Henry Lawrence, with little to separate the pair. On the opposite flank, Salieu Drammeh's only start of the season brought two goals, and he was rated the sharper performer when handed his chance from the bench against Antwerp, yet Bernard Nguene has continued to start every week since, withdrawn in each of his last five appearances.

Further forward, Dennis Eckert Ayensa has scored four goals in his four starts up top, and Adnane Abid has added two goals and two assists from the left. Casper Nielsen has been the creative force in midfield with a goal and three assists of his own, while Alexis Trouillet has started every match in the centre despite being substituted in all five.