Club Brugge vs Sporting CP facts

Club Brugge and Sporting CP will both be out to strengthen their claims for a place in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase in Belgium on Matchday 6.

The home side have seven points having won two of their first five fixtures, drawing 1-1 at Celtic on Matchday 5.

Sporting are three points better off on ten but must regroup from a 1-5 loss at home to Arsenal in their last fixture – their first defeat of the season.

This is the clubs' first fixture, and Sporting's first meeting with Belgian opponents in 12 years.

Form guide

Club Brugge

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W5 D1 L8 F21 A28
Home record vs Portuguese clubs: W3 D1 L3

Club Brugge's last Champions League campaign was ended by Sporting's Lisbon rivals Benfica, who won 2-0 away and 5-1 at home in the Belgian side's most recent fixtures against a team from Portugal.

That made it six defeats in Club Brugge's last seven games against Portuguese clubs, the exception a 4-0 win at Porto on Matchday 2 of that 2022/23 campaign. The Bruges side had won four of their first seven (D1 L2).

Club Brugge were unbeaten in their first four home games against Portuguese visitors (W3 D1) but have since lost three in a row.

This is Club Brugge's 11th campaign in the Champions League proper – one short of Anderlecht's Belgian record.

The most recent came in 2022/23, the Belgian side claiming 11 points to finish second in Group B behind Porto and reach the knockout stages for the first time before losing to Benfica in the last 16.

A 1-0 victory against Aston Villa on Matchday 4 this season was only Club Brugge's fourth in their last 22 home matches in the Champions League proper (D6 L12).

European Cup runners-up to Liverpool in 1978, Club Brugge spent 2023/24 in the UEFA Europa Conference League, coming through three qualifying rounds and finishing first in their group before eventually losing 4-3 on aggregate to Fiorentina in the semi-finals.

The 0-3 Matchday 1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund is Club Brugge's only loss in 11 home European games (W7 D3).

Champions of Belgium for the 19th time in 2023/24 – their fourth title in five years – Club Brugge appointed Nicky Hayen as their permanent head coach in June. He had succeeded Ronny Deila on a temporary basis in March, leading the club to their league success.

Sporting CP

Record vs Belgian clubs: W3 D3 L4 F16 A17
Away record vs Belgian clubs: W0 D2 L3

Sporting have not faced a team from Belgium since the 2012/13 Europa League group stage, when they lost 2-1 at Genk before a 1-1 home draw.

That made it three games without a win against Belgian teams (D1 L2).

All three of Sporting's wins against Belgian opposition have come in Portugal; they have lost three of five away, including the last two.

The Lions are making their 11th appearance in the Champions League proper, and a third in four seasons.

The most recent came in 2022/23, when the Lions finished third in their section behind Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Sporting have lost ten of their last 16 away matches in the Champions League; a 3-0 win at Frankfurt on Matchday 1 two seasons ago is one of only three in their last 18 away games in the competition proper (D4 L11).

Second in their Europa League section behind Atalanta in 2023/24, Rúben Amorim's side beat Young Boys 4-2 on aggregate in the knockout round play-offs only to again lose out to Atalanta in the round of 16 (2-3 agg).

Sporting have lost just three of their last 14 away European games (W5 D6), drawing 1-1 at PSV Eindhoven before a 2-0 success at Sturm Graz this season.

Sporting claimed their 20th league title – and a second in four years, having not lifted the crown between 2001/02 and 2020/21 – last season.

Amorim departed for Manchester United on 11 November, Sporting naming João Pereira as his successor on a deal until 2027.

Links and trivia

Zeno Debast joined Anderlecht in 2010 aged seven. He signed his first professional contract in 2019 and made his first-team debut two years later, going on to make 96 appearances in all competitions before moving to Sporting in July.

Debast's first Anderlecht appearance came as a last-minute substitute in a 2-2 draw at Club Brugge on 2 May 2021.

Raphael Onyedika and Ousmane Diomande were both Midtjylland players between 2020 and 2022.

International team-mates:
Zeno Debast & Simon Mignolet, Maxim De Cuyper, Hugo Siquet, Jorne Spileers, Hans Vanaken (Belgium)
Zeno Debast & Lynnt Audoor (Belgium Under-16, U19, U21)
Andreas Skov Olsen & Morten Hjulmand (Denmark)
Gustaf Nilsson & Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden)

Latest news

Club Brugge

On Saturday substitute Joel Ordoñez's first goal for Club Brugge, 11 minutes into added time, earned a 2-1 victory at Mechelen.

Club Brugge are ten matches unbeaten (W8 D2) and have only failed to score in one of their last 22 games across all competitions.

The Belgian champions were 3-1 victors at second division Patro Eisden in the last 16 of the Belgian Cup on 3 December.

The Matchday 3 defeat at Milan is Club Brugge's only loss in 15 games in all competitions (W10 D4).

Nicky Hayen's side lost two of their first three league games this season (D1) but have suffered only one defeat in the last 14 (W10 D3).

Bjorn Meijer was replaced early in Belgium's Under-21 friendly against England on 18 November with a quadriceps injury and has not played since.

Gustaf Nilsson was out with a calf injury between 27 September and 30 October but has not played since due to an Achilles injury, although he was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Sporting CP

Sporting were beaten 2-1 at Moreirense on Thursday despite taking an early lead through a Viktor Gyökeres penalty.

That was Sporting's third successive defeat in all competitions, for the first time since September 2019.

Gyökeres has 34 goals in 28 games for club and country this season – including 18 in his last 12.

The Matchday 5 defeat against Arsenal was Sporting's first at home in 31 matches, since a 2-1 Europa League reverse against Atalanta on 5 October 2023.

Having won their first 11 league games this season, Portuguese Liga leaders Sporting went down 0-1 at home to Santa Clara on 30 November – their first league loss since a 3-2 reverse at Vitória Guimarães on 9 December 2023.

It was the first time Sporting had lost consecutive home games since January 2020.

Sporting also failed to score for the first time in 45 matches in all competitions, since a 1-0 League Cup semi-final loss against Braga on 23 January.

The defeat by Santa Clara also prevented Sporting from equalling the club record for consecutive Liga wins (12) and ended their 33-game unbeaten league run, also a club record.

Franco Israel has not played since Matchday 5 due to flu.

Eduardo Quaresma has missed Sporting's last three matches with an ankle injury.