OTHER Anderlecht's next match will not be against Brann Bergen in the Europa League, but against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Conference League. The Moldovan club is largely unknown to the general public, although the name may ring a bell with older Anderlecht fans. An introduction.
Sheriff is a big name in Moldovan football. The club was founded in 1997. Since then, it has won the national championship 21 times and the national cup 13 times. In the past two seasons, the club has finished second in the league each time.
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Continue reading Like Anderlecht, Sheriff started this season in the Europa League. In the first qualifying round, it eliminated Prishtina from Kosovo (4-0 win in the first leg, 2-1 loss in the second leg). In the second qualifying round, FC Utrecht was clearly better: 3-1 and 4-1.
Current squad Yesterday, in the lost European match against Utrecht, Sheriff played with: Dyulgerov, Swen, Lopes, Soumah (72' Corotcov), Magassouba, Boakye, Ademo, Mija, Gjoni (58' Odede), Diarra (62' Serobyan), Yade (72' Cozma). Odede, an 18-year-old left winger from Nigeria, scored.
The player with the highest value on Transfermarkt is goalkeeper Ivan Dyulgerov, valued at €1 million. The 26-year-old goalie is a six-time Bulgarian international and joined the club on a free transfer from CSKA Sofia this summer. Like Anderlecht, Sheriff is a very young team. Only two players are older than 26, but both are currently sidelined with injuries.
Players to keep an eye on are the aforementioned Elijah Odede and Amarildo Gjoni. The former has already scored four times this season in just 235 minutes of play. Gjoni, a 26-year-old Albanian center forward, has scored five goals in as many league games since his arrival at the end of June. However, he has yet to score in four European matches.
Previous encounters with Anderlecht This is not the first time Anderlecht and Sheriff Tiraspol have faced each other. In the 2001-2002 season, the Purple & White met the club in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The Purple & White won the first leg 4-0. Defenders Bertrand Crasson and Glenn De Boeck each scored twice. Anderlecht also won the return match. The final score was 1-2 after goals from Oleg Iachtchouk (penalty) and De Boeck again. Besnik Hasi was a starter in both matches.
Other than that, Sheriff has never played against a Belgian club.
Finally, we would like to mention the name of Ziguy Badibanga. The Anderlecht youth product played for Sheriff between 2017 and 2019. With eight goals, he is still the club's top scorer in European competition.
