Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Gent will be aiming to overcome a one-goal deficit in the tie with Rakow when the two teams take on each other at Ghelamco Arena on Thursday evening. Gent were not in action at the weekend, meaning that tired legs are unlikely to prove to be a problem for the Jupiler League outfit. Over the years Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s troops have turned their Ghelamco Arena into a real fortress, and we predict that they will prove their worth on the field.
All Marreh, Owusu, and Samoise have been struggling with injuries at the start of the season. Rakow, on the other hand, are likely to rely on their rock-solid defence in the return leg, but preventing Gent attackers from scoring in Belgium is easier said than done. Croatia defender Zoran Arsenic, who limped off with injury in the first leg, is unlikely to feature in Thursday’s clash.
Highlighted Player (Michael Ngadeu Ngadjui):
Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui is a Cameroon international who plays for Slavia Prague as a defender. Ngadjui started his career at the youth team of Diables Rouges Maroua and in 2007 he moved to Canon Yaounde. The 190-cm tall footballer continued playing for Diables Rouges Maroua at senior level and in 2010 he joined German lower-league side Kirchhorder SC.
At the end of the 2010/2011 he moved to fellow German club SV Sandhausen II and in 2012 he signed a contract with Nurnberg. After making 54 appearances for the reserve team he moved to Romania, signing a deal with Botosani. Michal Ngadeu Ngadjui scored seven goals in 53 league games for the Romanian side before joining Slavia Prague in 2016.
The Cameroonian footballer, who was born in Bafang on November 23, 1990, won the national championship with Slavia Prague in the 2016/2017, but the capital club eventually failed to make it to the Champions League group stages. His main position is centre back, but he is used as a defensive midfielder as well.
Highlighted Team (Gent):
Gent are a Belgian football club that plays their home games at Ghelamco Arena. The venue has been the club’s home ground since 2013 and the capacity of the stadium is 20 000. De Buffalo’s participate in the Belgian Pro League and they clinched their first domestic trophy in the 2014/2015 season.
Gent finished the regular part of the season in second place in the standings, but they eventually climbed to the top position in the table in the play-off. The club won their third Belgian Cup trophy in 2010 and it has to be noted that they defeated Club Brugge in the Belgian Super Cup in 2015. Laurent Depoitre scored the winner for Gent three minutes before the final whistle.
A number of top-class players were part of the team in the past and the likes of Victor Fernandez, Johan Boskamp, Bob Peeters, Trond Sollied and Michel Preud’homme are some of notable footballers who played for Gent in the past.