KV Mechelen is battling with a full injury list ahead of the league start. The club has several players out with injuries, including Thérence Koudou, Bill Antonio and Moncef Zekri. According to coach Vanderbiest, the club sees a whole right flank in the reserves, with Zekri on board, Malinwa suddenly counts two defenders less. Add to that Tommy St. Jago, who has been out since the playoffs of last season.
The call for reinforcement behind the scenes is growing louder at Achter de Kazerne. Especially now that Redouane Halhal has definitively left for Venice. KV Mechelen is still thinking about Dender defender Luc Marijnissen (23) for that reinforcement, but it is certain that more must be added. Both qualitatively and quantitatively.
In front, Kiki Vanrafelghem has been training separately for a while after a fall and Halil Özdemir is still recovering from a torn hamstring. It is expected that the young Antwerp player will be able to join the group again within a few weeks. It is also waiting to see if Malinwa will still take on an extra finisher. Besides Vanrafelghem, Boersma has been out for some time. The Dutchman did not return from vacation in the best condition and is now also dealing with a crack in his spine. It is also not known how long he will be out.
With Dennis Praet, KV Mechelen has brought in a quality player with a lot of experience, but he is not yet 100% match fit. He played 60 minutes against ADO Den Haag and Duinkerke. José Marsà was sick in France, but is also dealing with transfer issues. Málaga and FC Köln are the clubs that are pulling on the sleeve of the Spaniard. If he leaves the Dijlestad, Vanderbiest will be really at his wit's end. We can be sure that the third floor at Achter de Kazerne is working overtime...
It will therefore be a challenge to see which names KV Mechelen will come up with on the field of AA Gent on Sunday. A move to the Planet Group arena is certainly not the easiest, and the coming weeks will be tough with matches against Standard, Charleroi and Westerlo.
