After playing five consecutive seasons in the Champions League group stage, Belgian giant Club Brugge finds itself competing in the Conference League in 2023-24 and will take on Denmark’s Aarhus as its first opponent.
Brugge is seen as the favorite for the clash and bookmaker William Hill is offering odds at 2.00 for the hosts to already be ahead at halftime. The odds are at 1.91 for Brugge to win the second half. Meanwhile, the odds are at 5.50 for Aarhus to win the opening half and at 5.50 for AGF to win the second half.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 26th, 4:30 P.M. (EST)
Landing in the Conference League is a big step backward for Brugge and it also resulted in a number of key players leaving the team over the summer, but there have also been a couple of promising reinforcements and the side still has quality from back to front.
For a bit over €21 million, Brugge has managed to bring in three young players who have plenty of room to grow their game but who should also have the ability to contribute immediately. Igor Thiago, Hugo Vetlesen and Michał Skoras are all coming off an impressive season and must be eager to make a good first impression.
Brugge also still has the services of midfield maestro Hans Vanaken. The Belgian international has spent eight seasons with the club, netting 115 goals and delivering 80 assists in 390 appearances. He failed to score in Europe last season and should be amped up to do a lot better this term.
Aarhus will want to make up for a few shortcomings as well. The team was shocked by Northern Ireland’s Larne Football Club last season in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. Overall, AGF has won only one of its last eight continental outings and getting anything against Brugge would mark significant progress for the club.
Does 34-year-old captain Patrick Mortensen still have enough left in the tank to keep carrying Aarhus? He was the Danish Superliga’s top scorer last season with 15 goals, and the veteran forward has managed 69 goals in 152 games in total for the Whites. Manager Uwe Rösler has just seen summer signing Tobis Bech get a debut goal in a 1-0 win over Vejle, but Mortensen should be the biggest goal threat for the visitors at Jan Breydel Stadium Thursday.
