Yahoo Sports Belgian Pro League Matchday Six Preview
With European qualification in the bag for all Belgian sides, we have a full slate of games for matchday six in the Pro League. Sunday’s first Brugge derby of the season and the Brussels derby a few hours later are the headline games of the weekend.
Genk v Westerlo
Genk are coming into their clash with Westerlo in decent form offensively, with seven goals in their last two matches. Both were victories by one goal however, with five conceded at the other end. Westerlo, after three wins to start the season, have lost one and drawn one since. Allahyar Sayyadmanesh has been the sides star player with three goals and one assist in five games so far. This is the repeat of a farcical end to last season where both sides stopped playing for the final minutes of the match to earn a 1-1 draw, a result both sides needed at the time.
KV Mechelen v Charleroi
Both sides are coming into this off the back of victories, although in different circumstances. Mechelen were indebted to the great performance of Ortwin De Wolf against Antwerp, while Charleroi really should have won by a bigger margin against Kortrijk. Dan Heymans remains their biggest goal threat with four in five, while Mechelen will hope new signing Benito Raman can hit the ground running. Last season the home side won each tie, with Mechelen winning 1-0 at home, a result that could well be repeated on Saturday afternoon.
Beerschot v Dender
The battle of the two promoted sides see’s Beerschot in desperate need of a first win. The side felt hard done by in their 1-0 defeat away to Standard Liege after Brian Plat’s red card, yet pressure will be on Dirk Kuyt’s men to win over Dender at home. Dender lost their first game of the season against Club Brugge last time out but will fancy their chances against a Beerschot side that lack potency up top. Beerschot may have won the Challenger Pro League title last season, but they were unable to beat Dender, losing 1-0 at home and drawing 1-1 away.
OH Leuven v Standard Liege
Leuven have not lost this season, but only one of their five matches so far was a victory. They will fancy their chances against a Standard side that have only scored twice all season, yet are defensively one of the best sides in terms of record. Goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo has impressed greatly and may be needed against a Leuven side that can create but struggle to finish. Former Standard man William Balikwisha got his first goal of the season last time out and may fancy grabbing a second this weekend. Leuven won the corresponding fixture 3-1 during the play-offs last season.
Club Brugge v Cercle Brugge
The first Brugge derby of the season see’s Club come in with decent form against a Cercle side who have also begun to get their season moving in the right direction. Gustaf Nilsson has started to find the net for Club, while Cercle took care of qualification for the Europa Conference League despite a 4-1 defeat at home to Wisła Krakow. Goals have been hard to come by in recent derbies, with draws also dominating. Last season neither side could win any of the four clashes between the sides. Expect another cagey affair at the Jan Breydel this Sunday.
Gent v Antwerp
Gent secured European football for next season and showed in their 4-1 win over Westerlo that they have a talented side. However, with the transfer window having seen players leave, the Buffaloes are still searching for the best formula. Antwerp, on the other hand, have been inconsistent. After beating Sint Truiden 6-1 they failed to take any of their chances against Club Brugge and Mechelen. They were unbeaten against Gent last season, with both matches ending in a draw.
Union St Gilloise v Anderlecht
The first Brussels derby of the season and Union could do with a confidence boosting performance. They looked pretty toothless against Sint Truiden last weekend, while Anderlecht had the weekend off to secure European football by overcoming Dinamo Minsk. Despite being unbeaten, Anderlecht fans are not convinced by the sides performances under Brian Riemer so far. There has also been criticism in the Belgian press of Union under Sebastian Pocognoli. Both head coaches could do with a win and positive performance on Sunday. The most recent fixture between the two ended 0-0.
Kortrijk v Sint Truiden
Sint Truiden have stemmed the tide in terms of consecutive big defeats, with a 3-3 draw with Dender and a 0-0 draw with Union. They could really do with grabbing three points this weekend, and perhaps the emerging partnership between Adriano Bertaccini and Kahveh Zahiroleslam could be an important factor against Kortrijk. The Kerels have been inconsistent so far but will be expecting to beat the Canaries this weekend at home. They will certainly need to play much better than they did against Charleroi last weekend to do so.
