There is little at stake for the Red Devils next week with a friendly match against Serbia and an unnecessary European Championship qualifying match against Azerbaijan. Then it is completely different for the Young Devils. They face a very important diptych in their search for a ticket for the U21 European Championship in 2025.
On Friday, September 17, they will take on Scotland, a formidable competitor for qualification, in Roeselare. Four days later they receive the visit of Spain, the absolute top favorite in the group, in Leuven. Gill Swerts can count on a strong selection for those two difficult matches.
Ngoy and Sandra as newcomers
This means he will once again have access to players such as Vandevoordt, Siquet and De Winter. He also recovers Romeo Vermant, who had to pass due to an injury in October. Swerts also brings some new names to the selection.
Defender Nathan Ngoy is there for the first time after his strong performance at Standard. This also applies to Cisse Sandra. The 19-year-old midfielder is being loaned out to Excelsior by Club Brugge this season and has become a permanent fixture there in no time. He recently made himself noticed by giving his team a point against AZ.
First big test
Compared to October, Jarne Steuckers and Ignace Van der Brempt have been left out of the selection. The latter has been sidelined injured for a few weeks at Hamburg. Finally, Swerts also has to miss Arthur Vermeeren and Aster Vranckx because they were brought into the A-team.
After three games, the Young Devils still boast a flawless record in their qualifying group after victories against Kazakhstan, Malta and Hungary. They always had little surplus. Now the first real test awaits, because Spain also took nine out of nine and the Scots follow only three points.
