The lowdown on Club Brugge

FixturesClub Brugge Vs. Aston Villa - Tue, Sep 08 2026, 17:45Aston Villa open up their 2026/27 UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday, travelling to Belgium to take on Club Brugge. Jan Breydelstaion is where Unai Emery’s men will commence league phase action, as they compete in Europe for the fourth successive season and in the Champions League for the second time in three years. It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides in that time, after they met on three occasions – two of which in Belgium – during Villa’s run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2024/25. Here is the lowdown on Club Brugge… ScenesetterClub Brugge was founded 134 years ago in 1891, as Brugsche FC. With 20 Belgian titles, they are one of the most decorated sides in the country, with only Anderlecht having been crowned champions of Belgium on more occasions. Blauw-Zwart are also the most successful Belgian side in European competition, having reached both the final of the European Cup (1978) and UEFA Cup (1976). They hold the record for the most number of Belgian Cup (12) and Belgian Super Cup (18) titles. They have made an impressive start to this season, too. After narrowly losing out on penalties to Union SG in the Belgian Super Cup, they have won four of their opening five league matches, sitting second in the table only one point behind the aforementioned outfit. In the DugoutIvan Leko is around nine months into his second term as Club Brugge manager, having replaced Nicky Hayen in the dugout last December. A former midfielder, Leko enjoyed an impressive playing career, with over 500 appearances for the likes of Hajduk Split, Málaga and Lokeren. Having begun his managerial career with spells at OH Leuven and Sint-Truiden, Leko became boss of Club Brugge – where he also made over 100 appearances as a player – in 2017, winning the Pro League and Belgian Super Cup in his first season. Further spells with several sides across Belgium, Croatia, Abu Dhabi and China followed, before he rejoined Brugge last year, winning the league and Belgian Super Cup in his first nine months back at the helm. The CaptainHans Vanaken is something of a stalwart at Club Brugge, with this his 12th season at the club since signing from Lokeren in 2015. The Belgian midfielder actually began his career in the Netherlands at PSV’s academy, before turning professional at Lommel. While at Club Brugge, he has amassed close to 600 appearances in blue and black, netting over 150 goals and lifting the Belgian title seven times. He also has eight goals in 40 caps for his country, and has represented Belgium at two World Cups. Their HomeBuilt in 1975, Jan Breydelstadion has been home to Club Brugge since opening. Ivan Leko’s side do not, however have sole use of the facility, as it is shared by they and their city rivals, Cercle Brugge, who both play their home games there. With a capacity of just under 30,000, Jan Breydelstadion has been expanded and renovated on several occasions, and hosted four matches at EURO 2000. Three to WatchNicolò Tresoldi (pictured above) An exciting young striker, Tresoldi finished last season as Club Brugge’s top goalscorer, with 23 in all competitions. The 22-year-old Italian is into his second season in Bruges having signed from Hannover 96 last summer, and netted in each of his side’s opening three league matches this season. Yann Sommer Veteran goalkeeper Sommer arrived at Club Brugge over the summer, and at 37 years old, shows no signs of stopping. The Swiss goalkeeper has accrued over 100 appearances for three separate clubs – FC Basel, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Inter Milan, helping the latter win two Serie A titles and reach the final of the 2024/25 Champions League where they lost to PSG. Brandon Mechele Another Club Brugge stalwart, Mechele has spent his entire career to date with the club, amassing over 550 appearances across 15 seasons. The defender is nearing 30 years in Bruges having joined the club’s academy at six years old, and also has 15 caps for Belgium to his name. Last SeasonThe 2025/26 campaign saw Club Brugge claim their 20th Belgian title, while again reaching the knockout phase of the Champions League. Despite a managerial switch midway through the campaign, Brugge finished second in the league, before finishing four points clear of Union SG in the Champions’ play-offs to be crowned champions of Belgium. They also beat USG in the Belgian Super Cup at the start of last season, while reaching the quarter-finals of the Belgian Cup. And, after winning their final two games in the league phase, a 19th-place finish in the Champions League table was enough to see them through into the round of 32. There, despite a spirited display against Atlético Madrid over two legs – including a thrilling 3-3 draw on home soil – Club Brugge bowed out with a 7-4 aggregate defeat against the eventual semi-finalists.