Football Season Guide

Eupen begin a new adventure this season as it will be their first-even campaign in the top-flight. The club is owner by the Qatar ASPIRE Academy and is used as a stepping stone fir young and talented African kids to play in European football. Eupen dramatically earned a place in the top division at the end of last season even if White Start Brussels were the team that finished top of the second division. It was a very close three-horse race for the title but the eventual winners were denied a spot due to the lack of a sufficient stadium and huge debts. Eupen have no such issues and were indeed granted the opportunity to compete with the best in the country. The team is composed of some youngsters from African countries and a collection of a few Spanish players and some mostly average local players. Former Espanyol striker, Luis Garcia, and Barcelona winger, Jeffren, are the two most easily recognised players in the squad. Coach is Spaniard Jordi Condom, formerly of the Barcelona academy. The emphasis of the team is to play possession-based football and not rely too much on individuals to get good results. Signings in the summer have been pretty limited and Espanyol striker Mamadou Sylla is the most impressive new capture. Talented defender Ibrahim Diallo is also back at the club after a short spell at Valencia that failed to work out. Overall, the core of the squad from last season remains the same and Eupen will be certainly regarded initially as strong relegation candidates. But there is more to this side that first meets the eye and they are capable of surprising quite a few people along the way.