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Will Kilmarnock reach the Europa League Group Stage?

Match Previews/Reviews

Kilmarnock vs Cercle Brugge Match Preview

While most European clubs are currently playing pre-season friendlies across the globe, there are some who have had to start early. The second round of the Europa League qualifiers begin this week with the first leg of games. Scottish side Kilmarnock host Belgian side Cercle Brugge on Thursday before the return fixture next week.

Kilmarnock have not made it to the Group Stage of any European competition since the rebranding of the Europa League. They managed to reach the first round of the UEFA Cup in 2001/02 as well as on a few occasions before that, but since then they have only been eligible for one European competition. In the 2019/20 season, they were knocked out of the first qualifying round of the Europa League by Welsh side Connah’s Quay Nomads, a team that I had never heard of until today.

We are Ayrshire Killie.

We are Europa League. pic.twitter.com/YxzBmhG7Jl
— Kilmarnock FC (@KilmarnockFC) May 11, 2024

Since then, Kilmarnock have been relegated to the Scottish Championship and promoted back into the Premiership. Their rise back into European contention has been remarkable, but will they manage to get further than they ever have before and reach the Group Stage of a European competition? It seems unlikely.

Their Thursday opponents’ European pedigree isn’t exactly spectacular either, but the Belgian Pro League is much more competitive than the Scottish Premier League, especially at the top. Cercle Brugge finished fourth in the league, behind the likes of Club Brugge, Union SG and Anderlecht, but managed to finish above Royal Antwerp, Gent and Genk.

Should they beat Cercle, Kilmarnock will face either Silkeborg or Molde in the third qualifying round.

Kilmarnock vs Cercle Brugge: Team News

Kilmarnock

Killie beat Barrow 5-0 in their most recent warm up game and there don’t seem to be any fresh injury concerns. Cercle Brugge’s defence will be keeping a close eye on Scottish winger Daniel Armstrong, who managed to score a brace in the last game.

🗣️ "Derek McInnes and Kilmarnock have shown me the commitment. I'm looking forward to the future."

Our Robby McCrorie exclusive on joining Kilmarnock, taking a pay cut to seal his Rugby Park move, leaving Rangers, Scotland hopes & more ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/FqWGXIPWiy
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) July 10, 2024

Robby McCrorie recently signed with the club from Rangers, and is likely to start in goal over Kieran O’Hara. Neither have been first choice for much of their careers so that position is certainly up for grabs.

Cercle Brugge

The biggest news coming out of Cercle Brugge is the fact that they have managed to keep a hold of Togolese striker Kenvin Denkey, who scored 27 goals in the Belgian Pro League last season. The 23-year-old has had a lot of interest come his way this summer, but Cercle are confident that they can keep him at the club.

#Napoli might need two forwards. The dream is Lukaku, especially because of his relationship with Conte. The backup could be a young player to develop, potentially offering future profit. One name the club likes is Kevin Denkey, who would cost around 15-20M.

[@TuttoMercatoWeb] pic.twitter.com/Dz1iu7rwtb
— Napoli Zone (@TheNapoliZone) July 10, 2024

Denkey is just four goals away from being the first foreign player in Cercle Brugge history to make it into their all time top 10 goalscorer list and the first player since the 1980s and 90s with Josip Weber.