Na een felbevochten 1-2 overwinning op het veld van Beerschot-Wilrijk treedt Cercle in de 1/16e finales aan tegen eerste klasser (A) Sporting Lokeren. Kan Cercle doorstoten naar de 1/8e finales van de Croky Cup of eindigt het bekerverhaal van dit seizoen op Daknam?
Met Lokeren ontmoet Cercle opnieuw een voormalige tegenstander uit de hoogste voetbalklasse. In de laatste seizoenen kon Groen-Zwart de Waaslanders maar zelden kloppen, behalve in de laatste thuiswedstrijd tegen Lokeren in augustus 2014. Toen scoorde Junior Kabananga het enige doelpunt van de wedstrijd. Het laatste bekertreffen tegen al van 1996, toen won Cercle met duidelijke 4-1 cijfers met doelpunten van Christophe Lauwers (2x), Bjorn Renty en Davy Cooreman.
Op Daknam zien we met Tom De Sutter ook een ex-speler van Groen-Zwart terug, maar gaan de gedachten van vele supporters in de eerste plaats naar Gregory Mertens. In januari 2014 versierde Mertens een transfer van Cercle naar Lokeren en debuteerde in diezelfde maand voor de Waaslanders in een wedstrijd tegen zijn ex-ploeg. Bijna anderhalf jaar later sloeg het noodlot echter toe. Tijdens een beloftenmatch zakte Gregory na twintig minuten wedstrijd in elkaar. Na reanimatie werd hij overgebracht naar het ziekenhuis waar hartfalen werd vastgesteld. Gregory en het ziekenhuispersoneel streden nog drie dagen voor zijn leven, maar uiteindelijk overleed hij op 30 april 2015. De supporters van Cercle en Lokeren zullen ter nagedachtenis van Gregory Mertens allebei een tifo ontrollen ter ere van de fantastische speler en mens die hij was voor beide ploegen.
In de huidige competitie zit Lokeren in niet al te beste papieren. Amper zes punten uit zeven wedstrijden en een zoutloze thuisnederlaag tegen Standaard zorgen voor onrust op Daknam. Voorzitter Roger Lambrecht maakt zich zorgen, de supporters roepen om het ontslag van coach Leekens en sommige spelers staan neus aan neus op de training. Een overwinning tegen Cercle is met andere woorden een must om de gemoederen in het Waasland te bedaren. Die situatie kan voor Cercle dé kans zijn om Lokeren uit te schakelen en door te stoten naar de volgende ronde.
Voor Cercle werden de volgende namen geselecteerd: Vanderschaeghe, Van Belle, Kchab, Naudts, Galvez-Lopez, Kis, Bourdin, Diarra, Diallo, De Schrijver, Coussement, Soumah, Dewaele, Van Roose, Maertens, De Bie, Yagan en Fabris. Lentz werd geselecteerd, maar is onzeker. Behalve de gekende bewoners van de ziekenboeg is ook Haroun geblesseerd.
Georges Leekens riep de volgende 21 Lokerse spelers op: de doelmannen Verhulst, Copa, De Wolf, de verdedigers Carlos, Ingason, Ticinovic, Galistsios, Skulason, de middenvelders Terki, Overmeire, Rassoul, Jambor en de aanvallers Bolbat, Patosi, Miric, Enoh, Coelho, Straetman, Hupperts, De Sutter, De Ridder. Persoons, Mijat Maric en Ninaj zijn onbeschikbaar.
Tot morgen om 20u00 in Lokeren! Leve Cercle!
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