Vanaken not dissatisfied after Champions League draw

Vanaken also warns against the dangers of such statements. “There are all good teams in the Champions League, so it is a challenge anyway.”

In group A Club also meets some old acquaintances. “At Leverkusen we naturally meet Odilon Kossounou and at Atlético two Belgians play (Yannick Carrasco and Axel Witsel).”

The big guns are not there so it could be close together, says Vanaken. “Real Madrid and PSG may have come to Club with the idea: ‘we will solve this in the other matches’. But that will not be the case now, every team will be able to take points in every match.”

Vanaken does not mind that the World Cup in Qatar makes the program super busy. “Many players, especially myself, would rather play a lot of matches than that I have to train more.”

Mignolet: “Well matched”

“A group with teams that are evenly matched. Porto, Atlético and Bayer are three tough opponents where the tactical story has to be right,” says keeper Simon Mignolet. “You also have to be in good physical shape. If you have to play in Porto or Atletico, it won’t be easy to score, which might be the case against Real Madrid or PSG.”

Club can, according to Mignolet, benefit from teams that take points from each other. “It will be three difficult games, but we want to take a new step in our European story. That’s why we don’t necessarily have to hibernate, but if you can take points against such teams, you only get stronger.” For Mignolet, pushing through is absolutely the ambition. “Although that is of course easier said than done against these teams.”

Hoefkens: “Perilous group”

Club coach Carl Hoefkens shows himself ambitious, but on Thursday speaks from the Belfius Basecamp about “a life-threatening group”. “I view this group as a supporter and then I think: ‘feasible card’,” says Hoefkens. “They are not particularly big names, but they are with an incredible amount of quality. A club like Leverkusen can take a player away from us for 13 million (Kossounou) without hesitation.”

However, Hoefkens also sees opportunities. “The three teams are worth each other. There is no team that will easily win all matches. This is a very good opportunity for our players to take the next step.”