KILMARNOCK will look for a more memorable European campaign this time around as they welcome Belgian side Cercle Brugge to a sold-out Rugby Park on Tuesday night in what promises to be a highly competitive clash.
A year on from their return to the Scottish Premiership, Kilmarnock had an outstanding campaign, as they finished in fourth position, nine points clear of fifth-placed St Mirren.
Derek McIness’ men will be hoping to avoid a repeat of their last European campaign five seasons ago, as they were knocked out in the first qualifying round of the Europa League by Welsh side Connah’s Quay Nomads 2-3 on aggregate.
Similarly to their Scottish opponents, Cercle Brugge had an outstanding campaign, as after finishing in fifth position in the regular season, went on to finish fourth in the champions’ play-offs
This is just the fourth season the Groen en Zwart have played in Europe and the first since 2010/11 when they were knocked out in the third qualifying round by Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta.
How the bookies view it: Belgian Head to Ayrshire as Favourites
Despite being away from home, Cercle Brugge have been priced up as favourites here, with an away win best-priced at 4/5 by the likes of Bet365. A victory for the hosts is priced at a massive 31/10 at the same site, while Unibet is offering odds of 14/5 for a stalemate in the first leg.
Head to head: First Meeting Between the Club’s
Unsurprisingly, this is the first time these two sides have faced off in a competitive clash.
Players to watch: Denkey to Deliver?
Last season’s Player of the Year, Marley Watkins, was their joint-top scorer in the Premiership last term and will be expected to lead the line and could be their best option for a goal.
Cercle Brugge’s top scorer last term Ahoueke Denkey slammed in an impressive 27 goals across his 39 appearances in league and cup and is the favourite to get on the scoresheet here.
Probable line-ups
Kilmarnock thrashed Barrow 5-0 in a friendly at Rugby Park at the weekend and Derek McInnes may opt for a similar starting 11.
Cercle Brugge played 120 minutes against Feyenoord at the weekend which they only lost 1-0. Miron Muslic may not make too many changes to the side that started.
Kilmarnock: McCrorie, Wright, Mayo, Findlay, Armstrong, Kennedy, Lyons, Watson, Polworth, Anderson, Watkins
Cercle Brugge: Warleson, Utkus, Popovic, Nazinho, Ravych, Agyekum, Francis, Olaigbe, Somers, Denkey, Ouattara
Anything else catch the eye?
This is a really tricky one to call here, with neither side being involved in competitive action so far this season.
As mentioned above, Cercle Brugge’s top scorer last term, Ahoueke Denkey, slammed in an eye-catching 27 goals across his 39 league and cup appearances and is priced up at 10/11 at Paddy Power to net here.
This UEFA Europa League match between Kilmarnock and Cercle Brugge will be played on Jul 25, 2024 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Kilmarnock vs Cercle Brugge prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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