Belgian Pro League Match Week 10 Preview

Round 10 has quickly come around in the Belgian Pro League, with this being the last week of matches before the second international break of the season.

Westerlo v Beerschot

Can Beerschot finally grab that elusive first win? They are quickly being cast adrift at the bottom of the table, with the gap to safety now at 10 points already. Some believe they are already down, but a win going into the international break might help turn things around. It will be a tough ask against a Westerlo team that has played well this season. Matija Frigan will fancy grabbing more goals against a poor Beerschot defence. The Croatian striker has four goals to his name this season.

KV Mechelen v OH Leuven

KV Mechelen host an OH Leuven side tat is struggling to win this season. The away side have drawn far too many games that they should have won, creating plenty of chances but not being able to finish them off. Mechelen were unlucky against leaders Genk last week and have done well against teams not considered to be top six certainties. They will fancy their chances at home. Nikola Storm remains in good form for the hosts, with three goals and one assist in eight games.

Kortrijk v Genk

Kortrijk are in a poor run of form at the moment and things could get even worse this weekend when they host a Genk side on an extended winning run. While the hosts have only picked up two points from a possible 15, Genk have grabbed 15 from a possible 15. Kortrijk simply cannot score this season, with no player having scored more than once. Genk have two strikers in great form, with Tolu Arokodare and now Hyun-Gyu Oh finding the back of the net regularly.

Dender v Charleroi

Charleroi are in good form at the moment, with just one defeat in their last five. Their season has started on a much brighter note than the previous few campaigns, and they will fancy their chances of grabbing another three points against a Dender side with just one win in their last five. The newly promoted side were impressive against Anderlecht in their 1-1 draw, and a repeat performance could really help them secure a place in the Pro League net season. Bruny Nsimba remains the key man with three goals and two assists in nine games so far.

Anderlecht v Standard Liege

Fan trouble cast a shadow over Anderlecht’s midweek win over Real Sociedad, so the Brussels police will be on high alert ahead of one of the most heated matches in Belgian football. Standard and Anderlecht may have differing ambitions for this season, but that won’t mean any lessening of the hatred between the two sets of supporters. Standard have the best defence in the league, but also the worst attack. This one could be cagey, but hopefully a raucous atmosphere at Lotto Park will inspire both sides to put on a show. Standard have not won at Lotto Park since 2018.

Antwerp v Cercle Brugge

In form Antwerp face a Cercle side full of confidence after their 6-2 win over St Gallen in Europe. Antwerp demolished Beerschot in the derby and in Tjaronn Chery have a man capable of the spectacular. Kevin Denkey is back and firing for Cercle, with five goals and an assist so far this season, including a hat-trick in Europe. Cercle may be without goalkeeper Warleson who went off injured, meaning Maxime Delanghe is likely to start in his stead.

Club Brugge v Union St Gilloise

What has, in past years at least, been a tie that has title ramifications, this season it appears that this may well not be the case. Union are not the force they have been in recent seasons, struggling to score despite still creating chances. Club have been inconsistent, with just two wins in their last five in all competitions. Union have only won one of their last five and have only scored four goals in that time, with three of those coming in one game. The sides did meet for the Super Cup in July, with Union coming out on top 2-1.

Sint Truiden v Gent

Since Felice Mazzu took over, Sint Truiden are yet to lose. The Canaries rescued a point late last week against Cercle Brugge to make it five games unbeaten .Gent, on the other hand, have won three and lost two of their last five. In fairness, one of these was away in Europe to Chelsea, clearly the best team in the Conference League this season. Gent gave a good account of themselves and were unlucky that the usually reliable Davy Roef made two mistakes for the final two goals for Chelsea. The side did see Omri Gandelman return from injury which is certainly a boost. Frank Surdez is also emerging as a top player in the Pro League this season with five assists and one goal.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson