Matchday 15 in the Jupiler Pro League calendar saw the high-flying St. Gilloise extend their lead at the top of the table to 7 points with a 7-1 hammering away to Oostende. With the reigning Champions slipping up and Antwerp also falling to defeat, fans of St. Gilloise will be beginning to dream that their side can claim a historic Belgian league title for the first time since 1934.
It was a week for underdogs in the last round of Jupiler Pro League calendar fixtures. Bottom place Beerschot VA pulled off a shock win against Genk, whilst St. Truiden edged past Antwerp and Club Brugge were brushed aside by KV Mechelen. Keep an eye on Bet777.be’s live betting odds on the underdogs this weekend.
We’ve previewed the upcoming round of fixtures in Belgium and provided you with some sports betting tips and football odds to help you with your accumulators this weekend. Place your sports bets with Bet777.be – the best place for online bets on the Jupiler Pro League calendar.
St. Gilloise vs Leuven
Perhaps the biggest mismatch of the campaign thus far, St. Gilloise are on a 6 game win streak, scoring 23 and conceding 5 in the process. They have averaged nearly 4 goals a game since October and should have no problem cruising past Leuven. Although the away side have climbed the table in the last few weeks, a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Seraing showed that they are not out of trouble yet.
Deniz Undav is one of the most in-form strikers in Europe. 6 goals in his last 2 have taken his tally to 14 goals and 9 assists in 15 matches this season. Leuven will need a miracle to stop the German.
St. Gilloise win @ 1.35
Seraing vs St. Truiden
St. Truiden matches are difficult to call this season. If they can get their noses in front, they are defensively solid and can often hold onto leads. However, their lack of firepower up-front remains a problem, with only the bottom two having scored fewer goals. Seraing on the other hand have some exciting players going forward, but are weak at the back – only two teams have conceded more.
With Georges Mikautadze and Youssef Maziz running Seraing’s attack, it’s difficult to count them out. We think it’ll probably be a low scoring affair, one which could see the teams share the points.
Draw @ 3.35
Cercle Brugge vs KV Mechelen
At odds of 2.75, KV Mechelen have some great value in this weekend’s Jupiler Pro League calendar. Cercle Brugge have the worst home record in the league and are without a win in 8 games. They have scored the joint fewest number of goals, and it looks a difficult task for them to keep up with the visitors.
Mechelen have won 6 of their last 8 games, including an impressive 2-1 win over Club Brugge last weekend. They have one of the more dangerous attacking line-ups in the league, with Nikola Storm, Hugo Cuypers and Kerim Mrabti contributing 16 goals and 10 assists between them. The away side should come out on top.
KV Mechelen win @ 2.75
Eupen vs Kortrijk
After a strong start to the campaign, Eupen have struggled in recent weeks, losing 4 of their last 5 games. No team in the league has picked up fewer points or scored fewer goals in that period. They will be hoping to stop the rot this weekend, but will come up against a Kortrijk team that doesn’t lose too many games.
The visitors may have only won twice in their last 8, but they have only lost once in that time too. In their last two away fixtures, Kortrijk have been underdogs against St. Liege and Anderlecht, upsetting the odds to come away with a point from both. They have made themselves difficult to beat this season, and with Eupen searching for form, this could become Kortrijk’s fourth consecutive draw.
Draw @ 3.55
Charleroi vs Anderlecht
Anderlecht will go in as favourites for this tie, but their form will be a worry for Vincent Kompany. With just 1 win in their last 8 league games, they are now 12 points off the league leaders St. Gilloise. Charleroi have won 4 of their last 5, a run of good form which has seen them rise to 5th, level on points with Mechelen and just a single point off Antwerp and Club Brugge.
The midfield battle will be key in this game. Kompany deploys Kristoffer Olsson and Josh Cullen in front of the back four. The duo will face the tricky task of dealing with Ali Gholizadeh, who drifts around between Charleroi’s midfield and attack. If they can stop the supply into Shamar Nicholson, Anderlecht will likely win the match.
Anderlecht win @ 2.05
Genk vs Club Brugge
Neither of these Belgian giants are in the greatest form going into this huge fixture in the Jupiler Pro League calendar. Genk have picked up 4 points from their last 5 games, whereas Club Brugge have won just once in their last 4. A shock 2-0 defeat to bottom of the table Beerschot VA was a worrying sign last time out for Genk, who are struggling with Paul Onuachu’s dip in form.
The home side are also having problems at the other end of the pitch. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 league games, and no team in the top half of the league has conceded more goals. Given their current form, we’re not sure they’ll be able to deal with Brugge’s fluid attack. Bas Dost has nailed down a starting spot, with the Dutch striker netting 6 times in his last 4 league games. It will be a close game, but Genk have looked poor in recent weeks and Brugge should get the better of them.
Club Brugge win @ 2.25
Waregem vs Beerschot VA
This fixture could be huge in the context of a relegation battle this season. Beerschot have had a surprise upturn in form, winning 2 of their last 3, but they remain 5 points off Waregem in 16th. This is a must win for the away side, but that could play into the hands of a free-scoring Waregem.
The home side have the worst defensive record in the league, but they have also scored more than any team in the bottom half. Jelle Vossen and Zinho Gano are both in the top 10 goalscorers in the league and have scored 18 of Waregem’s 23 goals between them. Beerschot VA will have to be brave and go for the win, but we think Waregem will have too much quality in attacking areas for the visitors to deal with.
Waregem win @ 2.60
Gent vs St. Liege
This game is not a good match-up for the visiting team. Only league leaders St. Gilloise have conceded fewer than Gent, whilst only the bottom two have scored fewer than St. Liege. Gent strike partners Laurent Depoitre and Tarik Tissoudali are not setting the league alight, but they are popping up with important goals. With a defence-first approach, the home team have climbed to 3rd in the form table for the last 5 games.
Despite avoiding defeat in the last 5, St. Liege have only tasted victory once in the last 8 league games. Their attacking woes remain obvious, with Brazilian forward Joao Klauss failing to score since matchday 4. We don’t fancy their chances of finding a win, or even a goal at the Ghelamco Arena.
Gent win @ 1.54
Antwerp vs Oostende
After a relatively positive start to the campaign, Oostende are on a downwards slope. In the last 10 games, only Cercle Brugge have picked up fewer points than the visitors. They were hammered 7-1 by St. Gilloise in their last outing, and things don’t look like they will get much better as they travel to face Antwerp and the league’s joint top goalscorer Michael Frey.
The home team were beaten by St. Truiden last weekend, but we fully expect them to get back to winning ways against an Oostende side lacking in morale and confidence. Frey will be looking to grab a couple as Antwerp try and close the gap between themselves and the league leaders.
Antwerp win @ 1.80
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*Odds correct at time of publish.