Anderlecht will welcome Allsvenskan side BK Häcken to Lotto Park this evening in the first leg of their Europa League qualification round. The Swedish side are already 16 games into their domestic season, while Anderlecht have not yet started theirs. The side will be favourites to go through, yet in the past they have come up short in similar situations.
Failure to come through both legs will put pressure on head coach Besnik Hasi almost immediately. With the likes of Kasper Dolberg in the squad, Anderlecht will be confident that they have the quality to beat Häcken. However, they will be without one of their summer signings. Ilay Camara, who returned to the club after leaving two seasons ago, has picked up an injury and will likely miss both legs as well as the sides opening game of the Pro League campaign.
Häcken overcame Spartak Trnava over two legs, winning the away leg 1-0 before a 2-2 draw at home in round one. The side have put together a five match unbeaten run, and just in time, having lost two on the bounce during June. Häcken sit eight in the Allsvenskan table, with six wins, four draws and six defeats. They have quality, with experienced Tunisian winger Amor Layouni scoring four goals and providing four assists in 12 games so far. Anderlecht will have to be wary of Layouni over the two legs.
The winner will face either Brann or Salzburg in the next round of qualification.
