Ghent vs Cherkasy – News and Probable Lineups

The Belgian club Gent will host the Ukrainian team LNZ Cherkasy at the Planet Group Arena on Thursday for a balanced second leg in the Conference League’s second qualifying round.

The victor of this matchup will advance to face either Goteborg or Levadia in the third qualifying round.

Match overview

Rik De Mil’s side secured their spot in the second qualifying round after triumphing in a penalty shootout against Genk during the Belgian Pro League’s European playoff, and they will be hoping that Tibe De Vlieger’s equalizer in the 120th minute does not go unrewarded.

The Buffalos played to a 0-0 draw against LNZ in the first leg, unable to capitalize on any of their 11 attempts during a tiresome match where they were fouled 17 times.

With another tough contest anticipated on Thursday, De Mil’s team will need to maintain their composure better than they did in the previous match, where both winger Josue Vergara and centre-back Siebe Van Der Heyden received bookings for engaging in clashes with Cherkasy players.

One silver lining for Gent following their first leg is that they have only suffered one defeat in their last seven games since the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.

Nonetheless, the more pessimistic supporters of the Buffalos might argue that the team has managed to secure only three victories in that span – including a 2-0 win against FC Twente on July 18 – with the remaining three resulting in draws.

On the other hand, Cherkasy, who were competing in the fourth tier just five years ago, recently achieved notable success, finishing second in the Ukrainian top division last season and qualifying for the UEFA tournament for the first time in their history.

Vitaliy Ponomaryov’s squad will take great satisfaction from holding Gent to a draw in the first leg and may recognize a significant chance to signify the strength of Ukrainian football, which has faced challenges since Russia’s invasion in 2022.

However, LNZ has not experienced a victory in their last three encounters, resulting in two draws and a loss – the latter being a 2-0 defeat to Goztepe on July 16.

Moreover, Cherkasy failed to score in all three of those matches, including a goalless stalemate with Dinamo Zagreb on July 14, and it remains uncertain whether they can muster the offensive strength to breach Gent’s defense.

Team News

Gent has welcomed back striker Max Dean after a prolonged recovery from a knee injury, and he could be available from the bench for the hosts after making a late substitute appearance in the first leg.

Additionally, centre-back Maksim Paskotsi was included in the squad for the previous fixture following his recovery from an ankle issue, although Christian Burgess and Siebe van der Heyden are expected to start in the defensive lineup.

However, right-back Matisse Samoise is still unavailable, having last played in December 2025, so it is likely that Mouhamed Ngom and Tiago Araujo will be deployed at full-back positions.

For LNZ, they will lean on Cody David to spearhead the attack on Thursday, supported by Mark Assinor and Denys Kuzyk up front.

At the back, centre-backs Nazarii Muraxyi and Roman Didyk will face a tough task in preventing their Belgian rivals from scoring.

Gent probable starting XI:

Roof; Ngom, Burgess, Van der Heyden, Araujo; Lopes, Benes, Delorge; Goore, Kanga, Vegara

LNZ Cherkasy probable starting XI:

Palamarchuk; Pasich, Muraxyi, Didyk, Drambaev; Yakubu, Ryabov, Pastukh; Assinor, David, Kuzyk

Gent’s performances in their pre-season matches have not been particularly impressive, and they struggled to find the back of the net in last week’s first leg.

Conversely, Cherkasy has faced difficulties converting chances in recent games and could fall to a slim defeat, even though their away form indicates they might put on a strong showing.