Club Brugge play host to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie this week, looking to extend their impressive unbeaten run.
The Belgian club remain the only side in Europe's secondary competition yet to have tasted defeat, having cruised through to the final eight.
Club Brugge
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Sitting at the top of the Belgian Pro League table with just eight games left to play, and comfortably booking their passage into the latter stages of the Europa League, it is fair to say that things are looking good for the Blue-Blacks at this stage.
It has not quite been all plain sailing for Brugge, though, having seen their eight-game winning run come to an end last week in a 2-0 defeat at third-placed Kortrijk.
Yet confidence will no doubt remain high in the camp heading into Thursday night's clash against Dnipro, with five wins on the bounce in Europe giving supporters real belief that they can achieve success on two different fronts this term.
In fact, Michel Preud'Homme's charges have slipped up just three times all year in the competition, dropping points at Copenhagen and Torino (twice) in the group stage, before brushing aside Aalborg BK and Besiktas in the gruelling early knockout rounds.
All in all, Brugge's record in the competition this term, stretching back to the third qualifying round, reads 11 wins and three draws from their 14 outings, making them one of the favourites to go all the way.
However, this is the Belgian club's first appearance at this stage of the tournament since the advent of the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stages, meaning that the weight of history will be bearing down on their shoulders against their Ukrainian opponents.
Recent form in Europa League: DWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWL
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
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In contrast to their opponents' remarkable form on the European stage, Dnipropetrovsk have actually lost just as many games as they have won since the start of the group stage.
When you consider that one of those victories came over Tottenham Hotspur, plus a surprise triumph across two legs against Dutch giants Ajax in the last round, then it is fair to say that the Ukrainian outfit should not be written off just yet.
Domestically speaking, the Warriors of Light currently find themselves eight points off league leaders Dynamo Kiev, although having won four and drawn one of their last five games, they are clearly not going to give up without a fight.
The disappointment of failing to qualify for the Champions League this season, losing out to Copenhagen in qualifying last August, has clearly not held Dnipro back, with this their first appearance at the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Away form is a big issue, though, because Myron Markevych's charges have won just one of their seven games on the road in Europe this campaign, something which you feel they will have to change if they are to continue their adventure for another round at least.
Recent form in Europa League: LWWDWL
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWWD
Team News
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Brugge will be hoping to call upon the goals of Lior Refaelov for this last-eight affair, with the 28-year-old now the joint-leading marksman in the competition on six strikes, following the elimination of Everton's Romelu Lukaku in the last round.
Dnipro pair Denys Boyko and Douglas have played more minutes than any other players in the Europa League this term, featuring for 930 minutes each in what has been a gruelling campaign for the Ukrainians.
Ondrej Mazuch has run out five times previously in the competition for Dnipro, although his last appearance came in the group-stage defeat against Inter Milan. He has spent two years at Brugge's club rivals Anderlecht in the past, but he is unlikely to be selected for the trip to Belgium.
One man who is in line to start, however, is former Liverpool and Tottenham target Yevhen Konoplyanka, whose trickery has seen him become the Europa League's most-fouled player.
Club Brugge possible starting lineup: Ryan; Meunier, Mechele, Duarte, De Bock; Vormer, Simons; Bolingoli-Mbombo, Refaelov, Vazquez; De Sutter
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk possible starting lineup: Boyko; Fedetskiy, Douglas, Cheberyachko, Leo Matos; Kankava, Rotan, Bezus, Luchkevych, Konoplyanka; Kalinic
Head To Head
These two sides have met in this competition once before, that fixture coming back in the 2003-04 group stage. Dnipro battled back to prevail 3-2 winners in Dnipropetrovsk on their way to finishing top of the pool, while their opponents crashed out.
That was Dnipro's only previous meeting against a Belgian club, incidentally, while this week's home side have won three of their 11 games against Ukrainian clubs.
Furthermore, the last of those triumphs came way back in 2001, when they managed to overcome Shakhtar Donetsk at the third qualification stage.
We say: Club Brugge 2-0 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Brugge, who are still on a high after claiming their first trophy in eight years by beating Anderlecht 2-1 in a thrilling Belgian Cup final last month, are an impressive force in the Europa League this term. They have yet to taste defeat, and up against a Dnipro side who do not travel all that well, they will take a 2-0 lead into the return tie.
Daniel Lewis
