The wait is finally over and the Jupiler Pro League 2022 season is underway! As we’ve come to expect from Belgian football, there has already been plenty of cracking games, and that is set to continue this weekend!
Leuven and Antwerp have risen to the summit early on, but the football odds suggest Club Brugge will still be favourites to claim the title. The league has witnessed some feisty affairs thus far. There were seven red cards handed out on matchday two, so keep an eye on Bet777.be’s live betting odds for players to be sent off.
We’ve previewed three of the best fixtures of the weekend and provided our betting tips for the games. Place your online bets at Bet777.be – the best place for betting on the Jupiler Pro League 2022 campaign!
Club Brugge vs Waregem
This weekend’s Jupiler Pro League 2022 action kicks off in Bruges on Friday night, as the champions prepare to host Waregem. After a strong opening day win over Genk, Brugge found themselves on the end of a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Eupen last weekend. They’ll be looking to bounce back in front of a packed out Jan Breydel Stadion on matchday three.
Although the imminent loss of Charles De Ketelaere is a major blow, Ferran Jutgla already looks an impressive replacement. The Spaniard assisted twice in the win over Genk and was on the scoresheet in last week’s defeat. Brugge fans will be hoping he can strike a partnership with Noa Lang, with the pair of 23-year-olds a potential force for years to come.
Waregem will prove a tricky task, having picked up a comfortable win in their season opener against Seraing, and only narrowly having lost out to Antwerp. That being said, Brugge have lost just once in 14 games at home against Waregem. The visitors will need to ride their luck if they are to take any points back to West Flanders.
Club Brugge win – 1.28
KV Mechelen vs Union St. Gilloise
St. Gilloise have been a victim of their own success. The departures of Deniz Undav and Casper Nielsen could have massive consequences going into the Jupiler Pro League 2022 season. They have purchased a couple of forward options to replace the German, but it’s unlikely they will be able to match his 26 goals in 39 games from last campaign.
St. Gilloise do have plenty of quality remaining and we expect them to mount a challenge at the top, but it remains to be seen whether they can keep pace with the Belgian giants. They have started off well, picking up four points from six, but a trip to KV Mechelen is their toughest test yet.
The hosts have lost both of their opening games but were victorious in this fixture last year. There will be more emphasis on Nikola Storm after the loss of Hugo Cuypers, but bringing in Julien Ngoy from Eupen could prove a good bit of business. Although they look a strong outfit once again, we can’t see them stopping the force that is St. Gilloise.
Union St. Gilloise win – 2.20
Antwerp vs Leuven
This clash will see the current Jupiler Pro League 2022 leaders go head-to-head. Antwerp have done some superb business this summer, bolstering the defence with the experience of Belgian international Toby Alderweireld and Argentine talent Gaston Avila, as well as bringing in Vincent Janssen to support Michael Frey. They will be favourites at Bosuilstadion, but Leuven will certainly prove a difficult task to overcome.
Leuven have started the season well, but the main stumbling block this campaign will be their capability of finding the net with any frequency. Teams competing towards the top of the Pro League typically have a prolific goal scorer, something which Leuven appear to be lacking.
In spite of a positive start, it’s likely the visitors fall just short in Antwerp this weekend. The hosts have lost just once at home in 11 meetings with Leuven, and they are full of confidence and momentum heading into Sunday’s game.
Antwerp win – 1.60
If you like the look of our selections this weekend, you can back all three teams to win at 4.52 with Bet777.be. A €20 stake could win you €90!