Preview: FC Utrecht Hosts KRC Gent in Europa League Knockout Stage

UTRECHT, Netherlands (Interstat) — FC Utrecht will host Belgium’s KRC Gent on Thursday in a Europa League knockout round match, with the visitors arriving as a slight statistical favorite.

The match at Stadion Galgenwaard is set for a 9 p.m. local (2000 GMT) kickoff.

Gent, which finished second in its group, enters the contest following a 1-0 home loss to Denmark’s Midtjylland on Dec. 11. That result snapped a positive run in European play that included a 2-1 comeback win over Switzerland’s Basel and a wild 4-3 road victory at Portugal’s SC Braga in November. The Belgian side demonstrated resilience earlier in the group stage, earning a scoreless draw with Spain’s Real Betis and a 1-0 win over Scotland’s Rangers.

Utrecht, a group winner, also fell in its last European outing, dropping a 2-1 result at home to England’s Nottingham Forest on Dec. 11. The Dutch club’s group stage was marked by narrow margins, featuring a 1-1 draw with Portugal’s FC Porto and a 1-0 loss to France’s Olympique Lyonnais. Its most convincing continental performance was a 3-1 qualifying round victory at Switzerland’s Servette FC last August.

According to the Interstat game simulator, Gent is projected to secure a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the two-legged tie.

The return leg is scheduled for the following Thursday, Jan. 29, in Belgium. The aggregate winner will advance to the next round, where Gent would host Sweden’s Malmo FF, and Utrecht would travel to face Scotland’s Celtic.