Standard Liège: Who are Bala Town’s Europa League second qualifying round opponents?

Bala Town will play Standard Liege in the Europa League second qualifying round on September 17, but who exactly are the Lakesiders’ opponents?

Having been founded in 1898, the club whose full name is Royal Standard de Liège are one of the most successful teams in Belgium, having won the Belgian First Division A on 10 occasions.

They play their football at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, which has a capacity of 27,670.

Their nickname is Les Rouches, which translates to The Reds, and the team play in a red strip.

Their main rivals are Anderlecht and, when the two teams meet, the game is referred to as the Belgian Clasico.

The manager

The current manager of Standard Liege is Phillippe Montanier.

The 55-year-old has previously managed the likes of Lens, France under-20s and even had a spell at Sky Bet Championship outfit Nottingham Forest during the 2016/2017 campaign, but lasted just six months after winning nine of the 30 games he took charge of at the City ground.

With the Belgian top-flight recently starting back up, he has got off to a flier with Les Rouches, winning three and drawing one of his first four games in charge.

In their most recent game, they beat Beerschot 3-0 away from home to move above their rivals into second place in the league standings.

The key players

One of the team’s most important players is winger Maxime Lestienne.

The former Belgium under-21 international has been in sensational form to start the season – scoring once and chipping in with two assists for the Reds.

The 28-year-old joined Liege in 2018, and has gone on to make 71 appearances. During that time he has scored 16 goals and set up 10.

His trickery out wide will make him difficult to contain, and his added creative nous means he will be a dangerous prospect.

He also has the ability to pick out that killer pass, which will cause problems for any side the Belgians come up against in Europe this season.

Another player who is considered a danger man for Liege is Moroccan Selim Amallah.

The 23-year-old possesses tremendous technical ability, scoring seven times and providing four assists in the Jupiler Pro League last season.

Amallah, who has one Morocco cap to his name, also has superb vision, which he has showcased during his time at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, and he certainly has the potential to carve open defences with the creative spark he boasts.

Their record in Europe

Standard Liege have a very fond history in Europe, which includes reaching the quarter-finals of the European Cup (now Uefa Champions League) on three occasions – in 1959, 1970 and 1972.

The Belgians also reached the semi-final of the European Cup in 1962, before losing to Spanish giants Real Madrid 6-0 on aggregate.

They also reached the final of the 1982 European Cup Winners’ Cup, losing 2-1 to Barcelona.

Liege also played Cardiff City in the European Cup Winners’ Cup during the 1993/1994 season, with the Reds coming out on top, winning 8-3 on aggregate.

In terms of their overall record in the Europa League, they have played 122 games, winning 52, drawing 31 and losing 38 in total.

(Featured Image: PinouD/Wikimedia Commons)