Rik De Mil's debut in Poland sees four new starters for Gent

AA Gent kicked off their season in Poland on Thursday evening, with manager Rik De Mil naming four newcomers – El Bachir Ngom, Christian Burgess, Laszlo Benes and Josué Vergara – in the starting eleven for the Conference League second‑qualifying round against Ukrainian side LNZ Cherkasy.

Tibe De Vlieger surprisingly begins on the bench, while Hyllarion Goore has been chosen over Matties Volckaert for the right wing‑back role. The Gent squad arrived at the ORLEN Stadium and is awaiting the first official lineup of the season.

LNZ Cherkasy, founded in 2006 and promoted to professional status in 2020, have been competing at the highest Ukrainian level since the 2023/24 campaign. They finished second last season with 60 points, 12 points behind champions Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Ukrainian club boasted the league’s best defence, conceding only 17 goals while scoring 39, and recorded ten 1‑0 results, seven of which were victories. Their style relies on a solid defensive block, rapid counter‑attacks and high‑intensity play.

Because of the war, LNZ Cherkasy host their European home games in the Polish city of Plock, roughly 1,100 km from Cherkasy and a similar distance from Gent. The ORLEN Stadium can hold 15,000 spectators; organisers expect about 20 Ukrainian fans, 110 Gent supporters and roughly 1,000 Polish fans.

"They are a team with excellent organisation and impressive intensity," Rik De Mil said, adding that Gent must match their work rate and exploit their own offensive strengths to cause problems for the Ukrainians.

De Mil also explained his selection choices, noting the need for creativity after the departure of Michal Skoras. "I always start from a solid organisation, but I also want to bring offensive football," he said.

The pitch at the ORLEN Stadium appears dry, slowing the ball, and a rain shower is forecast for Thursday, prompting hopes for irrigation to improve conditions before kickoff.

provided a live‑blog of the match highlights at 20:07, confirming the announced starting eleven and the tactical notes from the manager.