KV Mechelen played a friendly match against Westerlo on 5 September 2026, focusing on squad rotation. The match featured five second-half substitutions.
This friendly comes at a critical juncture. KV Mechelen currently sits 15th in the Jupiler Pro League with just two points from five games. The team is yet to win this season and has a goal difference of minus eight. They trail league leaders Gent by thirteen points.
The first change came before halftime. In the 29th minute, B. Boersma replaced A. Ayodele. Immediately after the break, in minute 46, B. Antonio came on for C. Van Meirvenne. The bulk of the changes occurred in the final quarter of the match.
Between minutes 73 and 90, the coaching staff made four more swaps. N. Storm replaced S. Saito. Shortly after, at minute 78, B. Raman and M. Decherf entered the fray for José Marsà and D. Praet. In the dying minutes, P. Diong, M. Decoene, N. Bohamdi-Kamoni, and T. Van den Keybus also got playing time.
This friendly served as the final tune-up for an important league match. KV Mechelen hosts Anderlecht on 11 September, a side currently in 11th place. It's an opportunity to break a run of five games without a victory.
The Anderlecht fixture is listed in the full schedule. The squad, including the players who featured against Westerlo, can be viewed on the player roster.
In their preparations, the staff must also account for absentees. Currently, Leo Fuhr Hjelde and Tijn Van Ingelgom are sidelined with injuries. Their recovery progress can be followed via the injury update.
The friendly provided a platform to test various options. The coaching staff will finalise their lineup in the coming days for the home clash with Anderlecht on 11 September.
