Charleroi travel to Gent on Friday evening hoping to put an end to a losing streak that currently stands at three games. They face a Buffaloes side who have shown signs of life in recent weeks, with just one defeat in their last six matches. This form has seen Gent move into the top six, a position they are aiming to be in by the end of the regular season. Charleroi also have ambitions of a top six finish.
In recent weeks, Gent’s form has been led by the duo of Wilfried Kanga and Michal Skoras. Kanga has proven to be a great piece of business so far this season, with the former Cardiff City striker having three goals and three assists to his name. Skoras was signed from Club Brugge and already looks like a player with a point to prove. The Polish winger has grabbed two goals and two assists in just four appearances for the Buffaloes this season. Ivan Leko appears to have discovered his preferred starting XI, with a back three of Siebe van der Heyden, Maksim Paskotski and Jean-Kevin Duverne. The trio were signed in the summer and are starting to build understanding in front of Davy Roef.
Charleroi have had a mixed start to the campaign, with three consecutive wins now followed by back to back defeats. The departure of Nikola Stulic appears to have been mitigated so far by the signing of Aurelien Scheidler from Dender, with the striker having two goals and an assist already. However, they are certainly missing Parfait Guiagon and it no coincidence they have struggled in the past two games without the Ivorian. It is not clear yet if he will be fit for Friday’s clash.
Last season the Zebras went unbeaten in this match up. During the first game Charleroi beat Gent 1-0 thanks to a late Daan Heymans goal, while in Gent the sides drew 1-1.
