Charleroi ends the year with a match in Kortrijk. A move far from obvious for Rik De Mil and his troops.
The Kerels were among the first opponents encountered by Rik De Mil when he arrived on the Carolo bench, it was during the Playdowns. But water has flowed under the bridge since then. Kortrijk notably changed coaches. Yves Vanderharghe took over from Freyr Alexandersson, with a first draw against Beerschot.
A single match is meager enough for the Carolo staff to really get an idea of what he expects: “It's quite special, it's the only reference I have, even if as a coach, you can't change everything in two weeks” declared De Mil at a press conference, in comments relayed by La Derniere Heure.
Last training sessions disrupted
Another fact to take into account, a virus weakens the group. After facing a weakened Sint-Truiden team, it's the Zebras' turn: “Noam (Mayoka) and Youssuf (Sylla) are ill. Others are having difficulties.” Daan Heymans on the other hand, recovered from his bad landing in the lower back, which forced him to come off at half-time: “He trained normally”.
At any rateRik De Mil above all wants to end the year in style, especially away from home: “We need to improve our record on the road. We need to be more effective away from Mambourg because we generally have fewer opportunities than at home” .
In fact, Charleroi has a record of 7 points out of 30 on the road (compared to 17 out of 27 at home). The Stade des Éperons d'Or is not the easiest to remedy: “The supporters are very hot, like at Charleroi. But the stadium is smaller, as is the pitch, which gives a certain pleasant atmosphere and is also difficult for the opponent. Every time I went there, it was a special match.” But after the demonstration in a hostile Bosuil, the Carolos know that nothing is impossible.
