Yahoo Sports Belgian Pro League Match Week Nine Preview
The Antwerp derby is the headliner for this weeks slate of games in the Belgian Pro League. Can Beerschot finally grab a first win of the season? Elsewhere, Genk will hope to keep their fantastic run of form going when they host Mechelen.
Charleroi v Club Brugge
Friday night see’s Rik De Mil welcome his former side Club Brugge to Charleroi. Club have lost two games in a row, despite dominating against Gent last week out. Andreas Skov Olsen continues to be the man in form in front of goal as he added his fourth of the season against the Buffaloes. For Charleroi, they are struggling to find the net if Daan Heymans doesn’t score. Last season Club put four past Charleroi on two occasions, but the Zebras are a better side this campaign.
Genk v Mechelen
Mechelen travel to Genk with a few injury concerns after Daam Foulon went off against Cercle Brugge last weekend. Genk are on a great winning streak and scoring for fun, with Tolu Arokodare leading the way with six goals in eight games. Mechelen are in a decent run of form as well, with two defeats and three wins in their last five. Last season, Genk won this fixture 4-0 before a 1-1 draw in Mechelen.
Standard Liege v Westerlo
Standard remain a strange team this season, with the best defence and the worst attack by quite a margin. They will be hopeful that some of their striker signings in the transfer window will be able to put a run of form together. For Westerlo, after a good start to the season they have failed to win in five matches. They are still playing well, but at some point they need to turn the performance into a result. During the play offs last season they put five past Standard in Liege, so will hope for a similar result this time around.
Dender v Anderlecht
Prior to the international break, Dender were the surprise package of the season. They have lost two since then and been well beaten in their last game. They could do with picking up another win to steady the ship and bring the confidence of the first three match days back into the side. Anderlecht may well be the best team to face, with a string of injuries and unconvincing performances behind them. The Mauves have only won once int he league in their last five outings.
Antwerp v Beerschot
There is already plenty being said ahead of the derby in Antwerp this weekend, but not much of it is positive. the main talking point is weather a section of the Beerschot fanbase will allow the game to finish. Reports suggest that, should their side be losing during the second half, they may well force the game to be abandoned. Hopefully this will not be the case and all the action will happen on the pitch between the two sets of players. Beerschot remain winless, while Antwerp have put a run of three games without defeat together. When the sides last played each other in March 2022, Antwerp won 2-1.
Union St Gilloise v Kortrijk
Two sides in need of points, with both having won just once in their previous five. Union have not scored in four domestic games and will be desperate to get something going at the attacking end. Kortrijk are hardly great going forward either, so this could be a low scoring affair in Brussels. They have shown some resilience though, grinding out a draw last week when they were second best against OH Leuven. Last season Union scored three goals in both of their encounters, winning 3-0 at home and 3-1 away from home.
Gent v OH Leuven
Gent are one of the inform sides in the Belgian Pro League following their smash and grab win over Club Brugge last weekend. They face a OH Leuven side who, while having only lost once in their last five, they have also only won once. The side are struggling to put their chances away, despite being able to create plenty. Last season Leuven won the play off clash in Gent 1-0 and would certainly take that result on Sunday evening.
Cercle Brugge v Sint Truiden
Cercle Brugge have struggled to star this campaign and currently sit second bottom. There is certainly enough talent in the squad to get out of this situation, and Miron Muslic will hope that things change this weekend against a Sint Truiden side who have started to improve. Under Felice Mazzu the side have picked up two wins and were comfortable in their most recent outing against Beerschot. Cercle won both matches last season, including 4-1 at home. Kevin Denkey scored twice that evening, and Cercle fans will hope the Togolese can find his scoring boots soon.
