Kenley Ward
Dailysports's expert
On Thursday, May 1, in the 7th round of the Belgian Pro League championship group, Antwerp will play at home against Anderlecht. The game starts at 13:30 Central European Time. I suggest a bet on the number of goals in this match.
Interesting match facts and head-to-head history
- Antwerp has won only 1 out of 10 matches in all competitions.
- Anderlecht has won 2 of the last 5 away matches.
- Anderlecht has scored only 1 goal in the last 4 matches.
- This will be the sixth match between these teams this season. Anderlecht has won twice, and they drew once.
Match preview
Antwerp has not had the best season so far. At this stage, the "Reds" are very close to failing to secure a spot in European competitions next season. Antwerp is in fifth place in the championship group, trailing the fourth position by 5 points. In fact, a defeat to Anderlecht would put an end to Antwerp's hopes of finishing in the top 4.
Antwerp approaches the match against Anderlecht with a series of three consecutive unbeaten games. In the previous round, Andries Ulderink's team defeated Genk away (1:0), preceded by two draws with the same Genk (1:1) and Anderlecht (0:0). However, the victory over Genk remains Antwerp's only win in the championship group.
Anderlecht, on the other hand, is currently in fourth place, ahead of Antwerp by 5 points. A successful result in the head-to-head game will bring Besnik Hasi's team closer to securing a spot in the Conference League. However, reaching the Europa League through the Pro League is nearly impossible for Anderlecht, as they trail third place by 8 points. It's unlikely that Genk would allow them to make up that gap in 4 rounds.
In the last two rounds, Anderlecht defeated Gent twice, who are the hopeless outsiders of the championship group. The Brussels representatives won 1:0 away and thrashed their opponent 5:0 at home.
However, Anderlecht has a chance to qualify for the Europa League through the Belgian Cup. They have reached the final, where they will face Brugge on May 4.
Possible lineups
- Antwerp: Lammens, Corbeyn, Alderweireld, Van den Bosch, Deman, Benitez, Riedewald, Yang, Sherry, Kerk, Bayo
- Anderlecht: Kosemans, Ndiaye, Simic, Hey, Maamar, Dendoncker, Verschaeren, Edozie, Huerta, Hazard, Dolberg
Antwerp vs Anderlecht match prediction
Antwerp has nothing to lose, as even a draw would not be a positive result for them. I expect a rather open game with a lot of goals, so my bet is on a total of over 2.5 goals.
