'When You See An OHL Match, It’s Never Boring'
- Leicester City will face OH Leuven at King Power At Den Dreef Stadion on Saturday (1pm kick-off)
- It will be the first time that the Foxes have faced OHL away, who are also owned by King Power International
- Belgian football expert Sacha Tavolieri is excited to see the two teams go head to head
- He also believes the Leuven public will be looking forward to seeing the Foxes play
OHL, which is also owned by King Power International, welcome the Foxes to Den Dreef for the first time on Saturday (1pm kick-off). The Whites, managed by Marc Brys, have finished 11th in the Jupiler Pro League in successive seasons – their longest run in the top flight.
A large crowd is expected in Leuven this weekend, with one-time Premier League and Emirates FA Cup winners coming to town. Speaking ahead of the fixture, Tavolieri, who regularly covers OHL games, outlined where the Flemish club are at the moment and described their ambitions for the future.
"First of all, it’s a prestige match," he told LCFC TV, which will broadcast the game live from 12pm BST on Saturday. "They want to show [the best] of the club. It’s a good way for Leicester to see how OHL is doing. It’s an impressive club. The coach is leading everything, the structure is professional.
"It’s not always the case at other clubs in Belgium. You can see that the King Power structure is really good and leading everything. They can be really ambitious in their football. They have a way of playing football that is really interesting to see.
"You can see Marc Brys, the coach, is working on a really offensive type of football. When you see an OHL match, it’s never boring! It’s football made with a big structure, 4-3-3 usually, with players who have freedom to show their skills. He lets the players also show what they are able to do.
"The problem is that, if you really want to go into the top four in Belgium, you need to be defensively better. This is a huge problem. For me, they can reach the PO2, the class from fifth to eighth, the second play-off that you can play in at the end of the classic season. This is something they can do.
"You can expect them to be around there, showing the quality that is inside the squad. It depends a lot on how Marc Brys will improve the problems that they had defensively last season."
It should prove to be a memorable occasion as two members of the King Power sporting family come together ahead of another new season. Tavolieri says there will be plenty of intrigue among the Leuven public to see Leicester City in action.
"There will be a lot of people there," he added. "It's a Saturday and the kids are on their holidays, so it's a good moment, a big [occasion] for Leuven. They will want to show the fusion between Leicester and Leuven. They will be expecting entertainment, to give a good image of Belgian football.
"It's not every day you have the chance to be watched by Brendan Rodgers, by the people of Leicester, when you are at OHL. We know there are some big links, but when you see those players on the pitch, it's another thing. There's a lot of interest in this match."