KAA Gent v West Ham United
UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg, Ghelamco Arena, Thursday 13 April 2023, 6.45pm CEST (5.45pm BST)
West Ham United’s European campaign resumes on Thursday with the first leg of our UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final tie against Belgian side KAA Gent.
The Hammers will be looking to book a continental semi-final for a second consecutive year, having reached this stage of the UEFA Europa League last term, and stretch an English club record of ten straight victories in European competition.
A 6-0 aggregate success over Cypriots AEK Larnaca in the round of 16 sealed our progression to this stage, following a perfect six wins from six in Group B as Danes Silkeborg IF, Romanians FCSB and Gent’s fellow Belgians RSC Anderlecht were all seen off.
Gent, meanwhile, booked their ticket to Europe by winning their domestic cup for the fourth time last term, and after being defeated by Omonia of Cyprus in the Europa League play-off round, came through a Conference League group containing Molde of Norway, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland and Djurgårdens of Sweden, before defeating Azeri side Qarabag and Turks Istanbul Basaksehir in the knockout rounds to date.
Having reached a continental quarter-final for the second time in their history, the Hammers’ task is to make sure Gent do not advance to a first semi-final.
Tickets…
Tickets for this match sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 60+ Loyalty Points.
Ticket(s) will be issued to supporters in Belgium by West Ham United staff and the address and collection details will be outlined on the ticket eligibility voucher, which will have been emailed to ticket holders.
Your numbered voucher along with photo ID will be required to exchange for a match ticket in Belgium.
Tickets are strictly for personal use only, cannot be resold and are non-transferable.
Travel…
You can reach the picturesque city of Gent in less than three hours by train from London St Pancras International via the Eurostar to Brussels-Midi/Zuid and a local service to Flanders.
If you buy a ‘Any Belgian Station’ ticket, this will cover both trains, with the local one also leaving from the same station you arrive at from England.
Your match ticket will include travel from the city centre to the stadium, with details to be confirmed and emailed to ticketholders travelling to Belgium.
Alternatively, it is a 45-minute walk from Gent Sint Pieters railway station past the University to the ground, or you can take the No19 or No8 bus.
Please also consult your email for details of where to collect your match ticket in the city before travelling to the stadium.
How to follow…
Thursday's tie will be broadcast live in the UK by BT Sport 2, with kick-off at 5.45pm BST.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Team News…
West Ham were without striker Gianluca Scamacca and midfielder Paquetá for Saturday’s Premier League victory over Fulham due to injuries and, while Scamacca is likely to remain sidelined for the trip to Belgium, the Hammers will take a check on the Brazilian’s fitness.
Flynn Downes returns from a European suspension and is available for selection again, while Alphonse Areola could return in goal for an eleventh continental appearance this term.
Angelo Ogbonna and Divin Mubama are both one yellow card away from having to serve a one-match ban in this competition.
Opposition…
Gent were formed as long ago as 1864, the year after the Laws of the Game of association football were adopted by the Football Association.
However, while Société Gymnastique la Gantoise – Gent Gymnatics Society – as it was initially known, provided gymnastics, athletics, boxing, swimming, hockey, tennis and even cricket to its members, it would be 41 years until the club formally launched a football section in 1900. The team adopted the colours of blue and white and played their first official fixture that November.
After winning the Belgian Second Division title in 1912/13, the following year the club was granted the title Association Royale Athlétique La Gantoise in recognition of being in existence for 50 years – although, of course, it had only played football for 14!
It was also around this time that the American Buffalo Bill visited the area with his Wild West Show, and the club adopted the nickname De Buffalo’s (The Buffaloes).
Both World Wars ravaged Belgium, with the country being invaded and occupied by Germany. On both occasions, organised football was suspended for a number of seasons.
On the resumption after the Second World War, La Gantoise were in the First Division, and twice went close to winning their maiden title in the mid-1950s.
It would be in 1964, exactly 100 years after the club was originally founded, that the football team lifted its first major trophy, the Belgian Cup, by defeating Diest 4-2 after extra-time at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
That success saw them qualify for the 1964/65 European Cup Winners’ Cup, where they faced English FA Cup holders West Ham United in the first round, and the Hammers edged through 2-1 on aggregate.
Six years later, the club translated its name to the Flemish Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie (KAA) Gent.
However, the change did not coincide with a successful time on the pitch, as Gent were relegated twice, first to the Second and then, in 1974, to the Third Division.
By 1980, however, the Buffaloes had charged back to the First Division. A second Belgian Cup was won in 1984, and Gent returned to European competition four times in the decade, reaching the UEFA Cup third round in 1986/87 before losing to eventual winners IFK Gothenburg of Sweden.
The 1990s were less memorable, aside from a run to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 1991/92, when again the eventual winners, this time Dutch side Ajax, would be their conquerors.
Since the turn of the millennium, Gent have enjoyed the best period in their history, winning two more Belgian Cups, a Belgian Super Cup, regularly qualifying for Europe, reaching the UEFA Champions League round of 16 and, in 2014/15, winning the First Division for the first time in their history.
The man who masterminded that success was the man who will stand in the visitors’ technical area on Thursday, manager Hein Vanhaezenbrouck, who returned for a second spell in charge at the club’s smart 20,000-seater Ghelamco Arena in December 2020.
Previous meetings….
Gent provided West Ham United’s first-ever opponents in European competition, back in our glorious 1964/65 European Cup Winners’ Cup run.
The first round draw pitted the English and Belgian cup winners together, with Ron Greenwood’s Hammers travelling across the Channel for the first leg tie in September 1964.
Gent – then known by their French name La Gantoise – hosted the east Londoners at their Jules Ottenstadion, but a crowd of 18,000 were left disappointed as a Ronnie Boyce goal meant the Irons had a 1-0 lead to take back home.
There, Johnny Byrne’s goal just before half-time was enough to secure a 1-1 draw and a 2-1 aggregate victory – a victory which began the journey to Wembley and the trophy the following May.
Match officials…
Referee: Tasos Sidiropoulos (Greece)
Assistant Referees: Polychronis Kostara and Lazaros Dimitriadis (Greece)
Fourth Official: Vassilis Fotias (Greece)
VAR: Agelos Evangelou (Greece)
Assistant VAR: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (Greece)
43-year-old Greek referee Tesos Sidiropoulos has been a FIFA-listed official since 2011 and possesses vast experience of officiating continental competition.
Since taking the whistle for his first UEFA Europa League tie in the 2011/12 campaign, he has refereed 28 Champions League matches, 32 Europa League fixtures, and two in the Europa Conference League.
This term, in 12 Greek Super League matches, he has issued 58 yellow and three red cards.
