The new Jupiler Pro League season officially gets underway on Friday evening.
And the first match of the campaign pits Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise against Royal Antwerp.
USG will be eager to start the new season with a crucial away victory, though it won’t be easy to achieve the feat against an Antwerp side with a fairly good recent record on home soil.
Read on for a full sports betting online preview on Royal Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise, complete with odds and tips for your football bets.
Royal Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise Preview
USG enter this Pro League opener on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Club Brugge in the Belgian Super Cup.
Star striker Franjo Ivanovic was on target in last Sunday’s fixture, but the side from Brussels could not take advantage of a 1-0 lead and were eventually undone by strikes from Hans Vanaken and Christos Tzolis.
However, USG fans will still be expecting a win in Antwerp after watching their team’s stunning end to last season, where they won nine of 10 Championship Round matches on the way to the title.
But as previously mentioned, Antwerp are fairly strong at home. In the 2024-25 regular season, the Reds won eight of 15 matches on their own patch, suffering only four defeats.
And in Vincent Janssen, Antwerp have a potent striker who can breach any defence in the Belgian top flight.
Janssen scored 13 goals across all competitions last season and keeping him quiet will be high on USG’s list of priorities.
Royal Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Despite being the away side, USG are favourites to claim a win on Matchday 1 of the season at 2.10. Antwerp are priced at 3.21 to take the victory, while the draw is at odds of 3.55.
Royal Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise Betting Tips
Franjo Ivanovic to score anytime @ 2.50
USG’s main man up top enjoyed a fantastic 2024-25 campaign, netting 24 goals across all competitions. After his goal in the Super Cup, we are backing Ivanovic to deliver once again.
Vincent Janssen to score anytime @ 2.63
USG have only kept one clean sheet in their last seven matches, including friendlies and the Super Cup loss to Club Brugge. So it is perhaps safe to assume that Antwerp will get on the scoresheet and if they do, Janssen is the prime candidate to score the goal.
Union Saint-Gilloise to win and over 2.5 goals in the match @ 3.12
As we have tipped two scorers, it feels only right to take a look at a selection which involves multiple goals. USG have the talent to win this match to nil, though we can see Antwerp getting a goal on home soil.
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