Arne Engels won’t be the only Celtic player with the inside track on Club Brugge tonight, as summer signing Kasper Schmeichel spent last season at Belgian Pro League rivals Anderlecht.
Interestingly, Schmeichel faced Brugge four times last season, with one win for Anderlecht, two wins for Brugge, and a draw in the Pro League.
Brugge finished fourth in the regular season but went on to win the Championship play-offs, while Anderlecht finished second in the regular season and third in the Championship play-offs.
It was in the Championship play-offs that Brugge defeated Anderlecht 3-1 at home and 1-0 away.
Those defeats will still be fresh in the Dane’s memory, especially as Anderlecht, after a respectable regular season, failed to maintain their impressive start in the final stages of the campaign.
This experience will help Schmeichel prepare for Brugge at Celtic Park in the Champions League tonight.
Given that Brugge secured their place in the Champions League by winning the Championship play-offs, Schmeichel has seen the Belgian champions at their best.
With more recent knowledge of Brugge than Arne Engels, he is Celtic’s true inside source on tonight’s opposition.
On a more personal level, he will be well aware of how difficult it will be to keep a clean sheet against Nicky Hayen’s side, having failed to secure a shutout in his four previous encounters against Brugge.
After a great start to the season, tonight will likely be a busy one for Schmeichel.
With Brugge reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last season and the last 16 of the Champions League the season prior, they have proven themselves on the European stage in recent years.
