“Can I just withdraw? Not at all”: Play dates are known as the Kroke Cup Semi-Finals | KRAKE CUP

Al Ittihad could prepare for the treble against Antwerp in just under two months. And on Sunday, Union will host Great Olds at home in the competition, followed by a double duel in the cup semi-final in early February and early March. “I don’t see Antwerp as the worst possible opponent, but as a nice poster against a nice team,” Federation coach Karel Gerarts responded to the draw. Although there is great respect for Antwerp, he is already expecting a tough duel on Sunday: “Antwerp has a good organization and with Toby Alderweireld a true leader. The team has many good individual and team qualities, and danger can come from all sides.”

But the same applies to the union. The Brussels club wants revenge for its 4-2 defeat at Boswell Stadium at the start of the current season. “The result looked really bad to us,” said Geerts. “But the conditions were not good for us with the red card. We must not make the same mistakes now. We will prepare Antwerp well and as always we will play to win.” (bf)

If Antwerp wants to reach the cup final, it will soon have to pass the Confederation vice-champions. The Great Old’s heavy schedule in early 2023 is only going to get even heavier. Antwerp coach Mark van Bommel replies: “We already had an impressive list of toppers, we can add two more.” “Whether it’s the worst possible draw? Not at all. On paper it’s the toughest opponent, but it doesn’t really matter. Because the semi-finals are two games, it will soon be something different from a real cup match. I’m glad we can play the second leg.” “At home. It’s always more fun, especially with our fans. But on Sunday there will be the competition match at Al-Ittihad first. We’ll continue to take it match-by-match. What comes after Sunday is not very interesting at the moment.” (KDC)