Champions League: Club Brugge changes coach 2 days before hosting Arsenal
BRUGES, Belgium (AP) — Club Brugge changed coaches two days before hosting leader Arsenal in the Champions League.
Brugge announced on Monday that former coach Ivan Leko was returning from Ghent to replace Nicky Hayen, who the club thanked for “all the hard work he put in”.
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Leko led Brugge to the Belgian league title in 2018 during his first two-year spell with the club for whom he also played from 2005 to 2009.
Hayen leaves with the team 26th in the Champions League standings and in contention for a top 24 finish to earn a place in the knockout stage for the second consecutive season.
Bruges’ home form has been good, beating Monaco 4-1 and drawing 3-3 with Barcelona, although they have lost three in a row on the road. After hosting Arsenal on Wednesday, Bruges ends in January at Kairat Almaty and welcomes Marseille.
The team is third in the Belgian standings, five points behind the defending champion, Union Saint-Gilloise.
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