Gent away Thursday 13th April 17.45 BST (that's quarter to six)

So back to concentrating on our european adventures now that we are almost certainly, quite possibly, looking a bit more likely, maybe, dare I say it, a little safer in the league.

Would like to see a strong side for this one, then rest a few in the home leg if it goes well.
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Comments

  • edited April 2023
    As MIAHammer mentioned the player getting all the attention at the moment is 20yo Nigerian striker Gift Orban, signed from Norwegian side Staebek for €3.3m on deadline day and has now scored 14 in 12 games

    His striker partner 26yo Hugo Cuypers started out life at Standard Liege, has moved around a bit and joined Gent in the summer for €4.00m from Menchen, another Juliper Proleague club. He has scored 14 in 46 games

    Hein Vanhaezebrouck is in his second stint as Gent's manager, he led them to their only Proleague title in 2015, quit to take over at Anderlecht in September 2017 but only lasted until December 2018 and returned to Gent in December 2020. Gent won the Belgian Cup last season beating Anderlecht 4-3 on penalties

    His preferred formation is 3-5-2

    Gent are known as "The Buffalos" supposedly because in 1906 Buffalo Bill's Wild West show finished a European tour in Belgium and the players adopted the nickname along with the club crest of a Native American chief.
  • Whoops, slip of the finger, Cuypers has scored 24 in 46

    (19 League, 1 Cup, 4 Conference)
  • Time to rest some players and give a game to fringe players and those lacking in confidence for the EPL battles ahead.

    Areola
    Johnson - Kehrer - Aguerd - Emerson
    Fornals - Downes
    Lanzini - Cornet - Benrahma
    Mubama

    Paquetá and Scamacca are injured, I think.
    Depending on how the game develops, make maximum use of subs to give other a bit of confidence.
  • Moyes on Scamacca before Newcastle
    "Gianluca has two weeks of rehabilitation on his knee. We don't think he needs surgery, but we'll see how the next two weeks go.'

    Moyes on Paqueta after Fulham
    "I don’t think it is that bad. You probably remember the tackle he got against Newcastle; he has a swollen foot. He tried to train yesterday and did a bit, but didn’t feel like it was right."
  • Pengeman said:

    Time to rest some players and give a game to fringe players and those lacking in confidence for the EPL battles ahead.

    Areola
    Johnson - Kehrer - Aguerd - Emerson
    Fornals - Downes
    Lanzini - Cornet - Benrahma
    Mubama

    Paquetá and Scamacca are injured, I think.
    Depending on how the game develops, make maximum use of subs to give other a bit of confidence.

    As much as I agree we should make some changes, I can't see us starting with a more or less completely different team to Saturday, and I doubt very much we'll start Mubama, although I would like to see him involved. This is the first leg, so it's important to get ahead in the tie before being quite so radical imo, maybe room for more changes to the PL 11 in the second leg if we're comfortably ahead.
  • With Arsenal next in the league, we may as well go full strength against Gent. I think our first eleven gets beaten on Sunday, so I think we can afford to play a good number of them, if not all of them, on Thursday.

    I'd like to see:

    Areola
    Coufal Zouma Aguerd Emerson
    Rice Downes
    Bowen Fornals Cornet
    Antonio

    Try to get a good lead ahead of the second leg, so we can rest a few before the Bournemouth game, which is, IMO, more likely to yield points than the Arsenal game.
  • Coufal gets rested imo, we need him for the PL, and after coming back from an inflammatory type injury I think we need to manage his game time a little for fear of a reccurence. Would prefer to see Johnson given another game against weaker opposition (he played in the second leg v AEK Larnaca) after his horror show in his last PL game against Brighton.
  • Full strength and get the job done on Thursday so we can rest players in the return fixture ready for Bournemouth.
  • There in a good bit of form ,Wont be easy ,Wouild take a draw
  • Areola
    Johnson - Zouma - Aguerd - Cresswell
    Downes - Rice
    Bowen - Lanzini - Benrahma
    Cornet
  • So, we’re going to the Gents on Thursday. I hope they have plenty of t. paper and towels 😀
  • 32yo central defender Michael Ngadeu-Njadjui started every game except one for Gent this season but left to join Beijing Guoan at the end of March

    Cameroon international but hasn't been called up since September last year
  • I’d like to see:

    Areola
    Kehrer Zouma Aguerd Emerson
    Rice Downes
    Bowen Fornals Benrahma
    Antonio
  • I think the player I'm most undecided about starting is Zouma. He does seem to always be carrying an injury of some sort, I think he is managing something long term with his knees isn't he? He's going to be so important in the latter stages of both this competition (yes, I appreciate that we need to field a strong enough team to reach the latter stages) and the PL that I'd be tempted to let him sit this one out.

    Coufal also sits out for me given he's only just coming back from an inflammatory issue with his foot/heel. Given that we've seen so little of Downes this season, and we need to be able to assess him properly before the summer transfer window, I think he starts alongside Rice in the middle. Cornet is another that desperately needs game time so I'm tempted to play something like:

    Areola
    Johnson Kehrer Aguerd Emerson
    Rice Downes
    Bowen Benrahma Cornet
    Antonio
  • Have just seen that Coufal did a presser with Moyes this afternoon, so I guess he's likely to start. Not that Moyes ever gives too much away, but it would seem that Paqueta will be fit to play if selected.

    https://www.whufc.com/news/live-blog-david-moyes-and-vladimir-coufals-pre-kaa-gent-press-conference
  • ....... and I doubt very much we'll start Mubama, although I would like to see him involved.

    Mubama has travelled with the squad, would be nice to see him get some minutes off the bench.

    "Eighteen-year-old Academy of Football prospect Divin Mubama, who debuted in the UECL Group B win at FCSB in November, has also travelled after scoring 26 goals in 31 appearances at all levels this season."

    https://www.whufc.com/news/team-news-paqueta-returns-squad-gent
  • Areola
    Johnson Kehrer Aguerd Cresswell
    Downes Rice
    Bowen Lanzini Benrahma
    Antonio

    Quite a few that I don’t really think can’t play both this and Arsenal due to fitness (Coufal, Og, Zouma in particular).
  • Zouma is the one i would rest. I am not convinced he is far from another lay off so the more rest he gets between games the better.
  • Vanhaezebrouck has started the same XI for the last two games, a 5-0 away win at bottom club RFC Seriang and 1-1 at home to 2nd place Union Saint-Gilloise

    GK Paul Nardi 28, signed from Loreint in the summer, although back up keeper Davy Roef, 29, has been preferred in recent Europa Conference matches

    CD Jordan Torunarigha, 25, signed from Hertha Berlin after loan last season
    CD Joseph Okumu, 25, Kenyan international,
    CD Alessio Castro-Montes 25,

    ML Malick Fofana, 18, Gent youth, Belgian U20
    MC Sven Kums, 35, won the Belgian Golden Boot with Gent 2014/15
    MC Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe (C), 34, 3 caps Belgium, 10 Prem apps with Norwich 2015/16
    MC Julien De Sart, 28, 14 Championship apps w Derby & Boro 2015-17
    MR Matisse Samoise, 21, Gent youth, Belgian U21

    FW Gift Orban, 20, signed from Staebek in January
    FW Hugo Cuypers, 26, current Pro League top scorer (19)


    A noticeable absence from the starting line ups was midfielder Hong Hyun-Seok, South Korean U23, signed from LASK in the summer and had started every game up until then. Lost his place to Odjidja-Ofoe who returned from a knee injury.

    Also returning to fitness is Moroccan CF Tarik Tissoudali who has been a substitute in the last two games after recovering from cruciate ligament
  • Don't understand how so many have a non-footballer in their selection. I don't need to spell his name, do I?
  • XI: Areola; Coufal Johnson Aguerd Obgonna Emerson; Rice Downes Lanzini; Bowen Ings

    Subs: Fabianski, Anang, Cresswell, Zouma, Fornals, Antonio, Paqueta, Cornet, Benrahma, Kehrer, Soucek, Mubama
  • Looks like an overly defensive team to me, feels a bit unnecessary to have 5 defenders and 2 holding mids.
  • Matching them up with 3 at the back. Interested to see how well this works, and how well Ings and Bowen work as a pair. Good to see Downes starting, glad Zouma has been rested tbh, guessing Coufal has shown no reaction in his foot to the games he's played recently so hopefully he'll be OK to play again on Sunday. Also good to see Johnson play again.

    Overall I'm not too unhappy with the team, just hoping we manage to get the job done 🤞🤞🤞.

    COYI ⚒
  • Not sure how Ings is going to get any service
  • edited April 2023

    Looks like an overly defensive team to me, feels a bit unnecessary to have 5 defenders and 2 holding mids.

    Yeah, that was my initial reaction. I'm expecting a defence-first, take-a-clean-sheet-back-to-the-Bowl type performance.

    Two keepers on the bench again, too. Would have been nice if one of those places went to someone like Potts, or Scarles, or Kodua.
  • steve said:

    Not sure how Ings is going to get any service

    I think it's entirely related to how much possession we get. With effectively a midfield 5 plus 2 up top I suspect the intention is to have a lot of the ball in advanced positions, which should then bring Ings into play. Whether we manage to do that is another matter, but I can see what we're aiming for (I think).
  • edited April 2023
    steve said:

    Not sure how Ings is going to get any service

    Got to assume that the theory is that Bowen and Lanzini will be playing up with him.

    History suggests he could end up quite isolated again though.
  • edited April 2023
    Looking forward to this.It looks on paper a pretty positive selection so let’s hope it comes good.
    My boy’s out there enjoying himself.⚒
  • Not on tv over here. Have we scored yet?
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