Saint Gilloise got back to winning ways last weekend with a 2-1 win over Sint Truiden to maintain their four point lead at the top of the Jupiler Pro League rankings. KV Mechelen only managed a point against a talented Genk side, but will happy to have taken anything from the game after going down to ten men with half hour left on the clock.
The league leaders are 10 points clear of the visitors in the Jupiler Pro League rankings and will go into this fixture as favourites with Bet777.be at football odds of 1.60. The away side will be underdogs at odds of 5.25, whilst a draw is priced at 4.35.
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Can Mechelen Keep Saint Gilloise Out?
Both Teams to Score / Over 2.5 Goals – 1.95
After holding on for a point against Genk, Mechelen will be without first choice goalkeeper Gaetan Coucke, who received a straight red in their last outing. The visitors haven’t kept things particularly tight at the back with Coucke in goal, so his absence against the league’s deadliest attack is less than ideal.
Mechelen have conceded the joint most goals in the top half of the table, but have also scored with consistency. It is mainly their attack that has secured them wins and both teams have scored in five of their last six games. After a few games without a goal, Nikola Storm has found the net in his last three appearances in all competitions, and the Belgian will need to be firing if his side are to open up a strong Saint Gilloise defence.
A key area that Mechelen will look to exploit is the wide areas, especially Saint Gilloise’s left-hand side. Whether Loic Lapoussin or Kaoru Mitoma starts at left wing-back for the home side, both are aggressive with their forward runs and leave potential space for a counter attack. With Geoffrey Hairemans likely to miss out through injury, it is likely we will see Kerim Mrabti drift into the space on that wing to avoid Saint Gilloise’s midfield overload. This could be a crucial area in chance creation for the visitors, giving them the best opportunity to take something on the road and climb up the Jupiler Pro League rankings.
Unstoppable Deniz Undav
Saint Gilloise Win and Over 3.5 – 3.75
Saint Gilloise bounced back from their defeat to Leuven with a narrow 2-1 win over Sint Truiden. It was the German striker once again that provided the goods, netting a brace to secure his team all three points and take his tally to 16 goals for the campaign. It was his striker partner Dante Vanzeir that continued in his supportive role, with the Belgian having assisted Undav in three of the last four games.
Whilst the home side will face a tricky Mechelen attack this weekend, they have the capability in their own forwards to outscore the visitors. Of their last six wins, four have featured over 3.5 goals. Their strike partnership has been the obvious factor in Saint Gilloise’s prolific goalscoring, but their midfield’s ability to control the centre of the pitch has allowed the league leaders freedom in attack.
The two main cogs in Saint Gilloise’s midfield machine are Teddy Teuma and Casper Nielsen. The pair have combined for five goals and eight assists this campaign, playing a crucial role in fast transitions, as well finding their way into the box themselves. Mechelen tend to opt for a double-pivot in the middle of the pitch, and Saint Gilloise will be confident in overloading and controlling the centre to win them the game. We expect the dominant home side to continue their fine start to the season and extend their run at the top of the Jupiler Pro League rankings.
