This match-up will see the league’s joint best home form go head-to-head with the league’s joint best away form. Despite sitting in a mediocre 9th, Gent have picked up 13 of their 17 points at the Ghelamco Arena and have won 4 of their last 5 at home. They face a visit from Saint Gilloise who sit top of the Jupiler Pro League rankings.
There may be 8 points separating these two in the Jupiler Pro League rankings, but this game promises to be a closer affair than league standings would suggest. Gent will go into the fixture as slight favourites with Bet777.be at odds of 2.45, whereas Saint Gilloise find themselves as underdogs at 2.85.
We’ve taken a look at how things might play out this Sunday. Place your sports bets online at Bet777.be – the best place for online bets and live betting on the Jupiler Pro League.
Can Gent Stop Undav and Vanzeir?
Gent to win to nil – 4.55
The same question seems to be relevant with every fixture Saint Gilloise are involved in; can the opposition stop Denis Undav and Dante Vanzeir from finding the net? The answer is almost always no. The strike force have become unnervingly inevitable – one of the pair has scored in 11 out of 12 league fixtures. If Gent are to come away with the points, they have to find a way of stopping these two.
The home side will likely match Saint Gilloise’s 3-5-2 formation, although they have achieved success when switching to a back four in European ties. Gent have kept 4 clean sheets in their last 5 games, including a 3-0 win away to Genk in which they were able to effectively shutout the opposition’s talented and dynamic attack.
24 year-olds Joseph Okumu and Andreas Hanche-Olsen will play either side of experienced Cameroonian centre-half Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui. They will face the tricky task of dealing with in-form Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma, as well as the lateral movement of Undav and Vanzeir, who like to stretch defences.
Being compact defensively will be Gent’s initial priority, but they will then have to find a way of breaking down St. Gilloise’s backline. These two teams share the best defensive record in the league with only 13 goals conceded. 16 of Gent’s 21 goals have however been scored at home and they’ll fancy the chances of spoiling the party.
Saint Gilloise to Outscore Gent?
Saint Gilloise win and both to score – 5.50
Although they have scored 7 in their last 2 games, Saint Gilloise have also conceded 4, relying on their ability to outscore opponents for victories. It’s not a bad trait to have, but Gent will be doing everything in their power to avoid the same fate that has been suffered by so many this season.
Undav and Vanzeir will of course be the ones to watch, but Casper Nielsen and Teddy Teuma have quietly gone about their business in the middle of the park to great effect this season. They have not only competently screened Saint Gilloise’s back three, but have also maintained a level of positional discipline that has allowed their wing-backs to attack with greater freedom.
The away side have typically been strong on the road, conceding a few, but more often than not outscoring their opposition. There has been over 2.5 goals in 83% of Saint Gilloise’s away games and they will be looking to put a dent in Gent’s hopes of a drive towards the Jupiler Pro League rankings summit. The home team have been defensively solid, but Champions Club Brugge are the only team to have stopped either Undav or Vanzeir finding the net.
Both have lost just once in their last 5 league games and this clash promises to be an exciting one. Gent will focus on remaining resilient at the back, but risk allowing the away side too much possession, which could come back to haunt them. Saint Gilloise will play with their trademark high tempo and will look to overwhelm Gent’s impressive back three. Anything could happen, but Saint Gilloise just seem to have the edge.