West Ham United v KAA Gent
UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final second leg, London Stadium, Thursday 20 April 2023, 8pm BST
West Ham United’s European campaign continues at London Stadium on Thursday with the second leg of our UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) quarter-final tie against Belgian visitors 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, with Thursday's tie kicking-off level at 1-1 after last week's first leg.
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 the Belgian 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 the Republic of Ireland and Djurgårdens of Sweden, before defeating Azeri side Qarabag and Turks Istanbul Basaksehir in the knockout rounds to date.
While West Ham are seeking a place in a fifth European semi-final, De Buffalo's are aiming to reach their first, having been beaten on aggregate by Ajax of the Netherlands in their only previous quarter-final, in the 1991/92 UEFA Cup.
The winners will take on Anderlecht or AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands in the last-four in May. The Belgians lead 2-0 from the first leg in Brussels. Their second leg kicks-off in the early timeslot at 5.45pm BST on Thursday.
Tickets…
Tickets for Thursday's tie are on General Sale now, priced from just £5 for Juniors and £15 Adults You can make sure of your seat at London Stadium now by clicking here or on the graphic at the bottom of this article.
Alternatively, you can purchase tickets over the phone on 0333 030 1966 or in person at the London Stadium Ticket Office.
Travel...
TfL services are largely unaffected on Thursday, but supporters who use the London Overground between Hackney Downes and Chingford should note that services will end at 10.45pm, with replacement bus services in operation thereafter until the end of the day.
On Greater Anglia, West Anglia services will divert via Seven Sisters instead of Tottenham Hale after 11.20pm, increasing journey times to stations on the Cheshunt line.
c2c rail services will run as normal.
On Southeastern Railway, the 11.50pm London St Pancras International-Faversham service will be replaced by accessible buses between Ebbsfleet International, Gillingham and Faversham. The 11.07pm London St Pancras International-Ramsgate via Dover Priory service will be replaced by an accessible bus between Dover Priory and Ramsgate.
How to Follow...
Thursday's tie will be broadcast live in the UK by BT Sport 2 and BT Sport Ultimate, with kick-off at 8pm GMT.
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.
Official Programme...
West Ham United's 116-page Official Programme for Thursday's tie with KAA Gent is on sale now.
With London Stadium set to host another memorable European night under the lights, we have produced a bumper issue crammed full of exclusive interviews and exciting content for fans of all ages, complete with a double-sided A3 poster.
The Irons' Official Programme is available to order online now for just £4, plus £1.49 postage and packaging*.
Team News...
West Ham United will be without Angelo Ogbonna through suspension after the Italy centre-back was booked for a third time in the competition in Belgium last week. His compatriot Gianluca Scamacca is also out after undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus in his knee at the weekend.
Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd missed Sunday's 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal with a knock suffered in the first leg in Gent.
KAA Gent have been without striker Darko Lemajić (groin), midfielder Andrew Hjulsager (Achilles) and defensive midfielder Sulayman Marreh (leg) in recent weeks.
Star forward Gift Orban was rested from the starting XI for their 1-1 Pro League draw at Mechelen on Sunday, while UECL regular Davy Roef is expected to replace Pro League regular Paul Nardi in goal.
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 Vanhaezebrouck, who returned for a second spell in charge at the club’s smart 20,000-seater KAA Gent Stadium 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.
Of course, last week's UECL quarter-final first leg ended 1-1, with Danny Ings' first European goal on the stroke of half-time being cancelled out by Hugo Cuypers' second-half equaliser, meaning there is all to play for at London Stadium on Thursday evening!
Match officials…
Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (Israel)
Assistant Referees: Roy Hassan and Idan Yarkoni (Israel)
Fourth Official: Gal Leibovitz (Israel)
VAR: Roi Reinshreiber (Israel)
Assistant VAR: Eli Hacmon (Israel)
Israeli Orel Grinfeeld leads the officiating crew at London Stadium on Thursday evening.
The 41-year-old is an experienced referee who has been on the FIFA list for eleven years.
Grinfeeld has officiated in all three UEFA club competitions in recent seasons and took charge of the Netherlands' group-stage meeting with Austria at UEFA Euro 2020.
Born in Kiryat Yam, Grinfeeld took charge of two of Leicester City's UECL knockout ties last season, against Rennes of France and Roma of Italy. He has also refereed matches involving Manchester City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United.
At international level, Grinfeeld refereed England's FIFA World Cup qualifying wins in Albania in March 2021 and Lithuania in October 2017, in which Aaron Cresswell won his third cap for the Three Lions.
