South African youth international Shandre Campbell has been named in Club Brugge’s UEFA Champions League squad for the round of 16 matchup against English Premier League’s Aston Villa at Jan Breydelstadion on Tuesday (19:45).
This selection represents a significant achievement in Campbell’s career. He transferred to the Belgian club from SuperSport United at the beginning of the season and commenced his tenure with Club NXT, their reserve team.
After making a strong impression in the reserve league, Club Brugge elevated the left winger to the first team in January, as reported by Sportswire last month.
At only 19 years old, he has netted six goals and provided one assist in 15 appearances in the Challenger Pro League for the 2023/24 season.
He has already made his debut in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, coming off the bench in the 84th minute against Sint-Truiden last month in a 2-2 draw.
He is now poised to make his debut in a major European tournament with Brugge against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who have reached the knockout stage.
While Aston Villa secured their place in the round of 16 differently than Brugge, who qualified through the playoffs, Brugge did achieve a home victory over Villa in November during the group stage, courtesy of a penalty scored by Hans Vanaken.
As Brugge looks to bolster their attacking options with Campbell’s promotion, they will be up against an Aston Villa squad that has also strengthened its roster during the January transfer window. Notably, they acquired Marco Asensio on loan from PSG, a player who has won the Champions League three times with Real Madrid.
Additional significant signings include Marcus Rashford from Manchester United and Axel Disasi from Chelsea, both on loan, along with Netherlands international Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund.
