After a successful international break for Belgium, domestic football returns this week with a number of exciting fixtures in the Jupiler Pro League calendar. St. Gilloise have established a 4 point lead at the top of the table, whilst Beerschot VA and Cercle Brugge continue to struggle at the opposite end of the rankings.
Home advantage was evident in the last round of fixtures, with only one team picking up 3 points on the road. There were also more draws than we’re used to seeing in the Pro League. 5 matches ended all square, 4 of which featured 2 goals or less. Keep an eye out for Bet777.be’s football odds for games to end in a draw with under 2.5 goals.
We’ve previewed the upcoming fixtures in the Jupiler Pro League calendar to help you with your selections this weekend. Place your sports bets with Bet777.be – the best place for online bets and live betting on Belgian football.
KV Mechelen vs Club Brugge
Mechelen’s impressive run came to an end last time out as they lost 1-0 at home to St. Truiden. Although they have the worst defensive record in the top half, a 7-2 defeat to Anderlecht makes it look far worse than the performances suggest. Since that loss, they have kept 3 clean sheets in 7 games.
Although they have failed to pick up wins against the traditional Belgian giants, Club Brugge usually find a way to beat the smaller sides. The surprise inclusion of Bas Dost has been the saving grace in recent times. The Dutch striker has netted 3 times in the last 2 league games, including both goals in a 2-1 win over St. Truiden. The Champions will need to get back to winning ways in order to keep pace with St. Gilloise and we back them to do so.
Club Brugge win @ 1.76
Cercle Brugge vs Charleroi
Cercle Brugge are facing an uphill battle to avoid the relegation scrap. They have now lost 5 of the last 7 and have the worst home record in the league. Brugge have not conceded as many as the teams around them, but they have been consistently unable to find the net more than once in a game – they have only scored multiple goals on one occasion. They must solve this problem if they are to avoid the drop.
The visitors are facing no such problems in front of goal. They were comfortably beaten by the league leaders in their last fixture, but have been in decent form in recent weeks. Shamar Nicholson and Ali Gholizadeh have provided the goals, but it is the creative efforts of Joris Kayembe and Ryota Morioka which deserve recognition – the pair have provided 9 assists in 14 games. With Brugge’s home record, we can’t see past an away win.
Charleroi win @ 2.60
Leuven vs Seraing
Leuven seem to have turned things around since their poor start to the campaign. With just a single defeat in their last 9, they have risen to 14th place, 7 points clear of the relegation places. Their strong home form has played a part in that, with Leuven picking up 12 of their 17 points on home soil.
They face a visit from a Seraing side that have lost 6 of their 7 away games, conceding around 2.5 goals on average per game. Leuven have the momentum, and with Xavier Mercier in fine form, they should have too much for a visiting side that are being sucked into a relegation scrap.
Leuven win @ 1.80
Waregem vs Gent
This could be one of the shock results of this week’s Jupiler Pro League calendar. Although Gent have beaten the likes of Club Brugge and Genk, they have been inconsistent. A 0-0 in their last fixture against Seraing highlighted their attacking problems – only 1 team have scored fewer in the top 10. With only 5 goals scored in 7 away games, they have picked up just 5 points on the road, only two teams have acquired fewer on their travels.
Waregem have a devastating attacking, but leak far too many goals at the other end. With the worst defensive record in the league, Gent will be confident in finding the net, but they will have to be wary of Jelle Vossen at the other end. Gent are strong favourites, but given their poor away form and lack of goals, we can see the home side nicking a point.
Draw @ 4.70
St. Liege vs Eupen
St. Liege are on a run of 7 games without a win and have drawn their last 4. Although they are just 4 points off the top 8, the signs are not looking good for one of Belgium’s biggest clubs. A lack of goals has been evident throughout the season despite the young Romanian Denis Dragus impressing on the wing.
Eupen have faced similar problems in recent weeks. They have lost 3 of their last 4 and failed to score in two of those games. The goals of Smail Prevljak have dropped off slightly and Eupen’s reliance on him has become apparent – the next highest goalscorer is central defender Emmanuel Agbadou. With both teams struggling for form, it looks an even match-up.
Draw @ 3.85
Anderlecht vs Kortrijk
Just a single point separates these two in the Pro League and they will meet this weekend in the Jupiler Pro League calendar. Kortrijk have won 1 of their last 6 and face a difficult trip to an Anderlecht team in good form. Their loss to Antwerp last time out was their first taste of defeat in 9 league matches.
Vincent Kompany’s side are still drawing too many games, but the manager seems to have finally settled on his main man up front. Joshua Zirkzee has scored 8 in his last 5 in all competitions, with 4 goals in 2 appearances for the Netherlands U21s. Zirkzee and full-back Sergio Gomez will be Anderlecht’s key to breaking down a strong Kortrijk defence.
Anderlecht win @ 1.40
St. Truiden vs Antwerp
Antwerp impressed in their last game with a 2-0 win over Anderlecht. The game was an example of how compact they have been defensively and Michael Frey did what he does best at the other end of the pitch, netting his 14th in as many games. Their strong defensive record poses a problem for a St. Truiden side with a real lack of goalscoring threat.
More Konate is the home side’s top scorer with just 2 goals from midfield. Now he is injured, St. Truiden will be desperate for their Japanese strike partnership of Taichi Hara and Yuma Suzuki to find some form in front of goal. They have managed just 1 goal each this season and will have to start firing if they are to push their team towards the top 8.
Antwerp win @ 2.45
Oostende vs St. Gilloise
It’s hard to see why anyone would bet against St. Gilloise at the moment. Their 4-0 hammering of Charleroi last time out extended their run to 5 wins on the bounce, a run that has seen them score 16 goals and concede just 4. Aside from the obvious threat of their front men, Teddy Teuma and Casper Nielsen have been pivotal at the heart of St. Gilloise’s midfield and will play a huge role if they are to push for the title.
Oostende have now lost 3 league games in a row and failed to score in two of them. There are defensive deficiencies on show, and although the presence of Makhtar Gueye means they are always in with a chance, they don’t seem to have any real goal threat other than the Senegalese forward. St. Gilloise are simply too good.
St. Gilloise win @ 1.52
Beerschot VA vs Genk
After looking dead and buried at the bottom of the table, 4 points from 2 games has left Beerschot VA with an unlikely fighting chance to avoid relegation. They were unlucky not to pick up all 3 points away to Kortrijk last time out, where they were denied the victory by a late Faiz Selemanie equaliser.
For all Beerschot’s improvements, we’re not convinced their frail defence will have what it takes to deal with Genk’s front line. The away side did struggle to a 1-1 draw with Cercle Brugge in their last fixture, but they have too much quality throughout to be troubled by this Beerschot side.
Genk win @ 1.68
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*Odds correct at time of publish.
