Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the 10th round of the Belgian Pro League will take place on Saturday at the Denderleeuw Arena, where the local side Dender will host Mechelen. I’m offering a bet on the outcome of this clash with an attractive odds value.
Match preview
In their most recent fixture, Régis Van Acker's team played away against Standard and came away with a goalless 0-0 draw. Dender, however, looked outright poor (xG 0.10 vs 1.04), so the result can definitely be considered positive for the visitors.
Overall, in their last five league matches, Dender have picked up two wins — beating Charleroi (1-0) and OH Leuven (5-0) — but suffered defeats to Westerlo (2-4) and again to Charleroi (1-4). As a result, the team sits 10th in the league table with 28 points. Dender trail the seventh spot, which secures a place in the Conference League playoffs, by nine points.
Mechelen, meanwhile, also no longer have a chance to catch the seventh place. Besnik Hasi's squad are a full seven points behind Charleroi. Mechelen are unbeaten in their last four matches, though three of those ended in draws.
In the previous round, Mechelen hosted Charleroi and played out a 1-1 draw. The visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half, but the hosts managed to equalize shortly before the final whistle. Overall, Mechelen played with more flair and deserved the win (xG 1.82 vs 0.52), but failed to capitalize on their chances.
Probable lineups
- Dender: Ditsch G., Hrncjar D., Ruijssen J., Masangu K., Gonçalves B., Silla D., Kvet R., Rhodes N., Viltard M., Nsimba B., Berthe M.
- Mechelen: De Wolf O., Belgali R., Welsh S., Reymaekers T., Zekri M., Schoofs R., Hammar F., Hairemans J., Antonio B., Raman B., Storm N.
Match facts and head-to-head
- Mechelen have beaten this opponent in each of their last six encounters
- The bet on "Total over 2.5" has won in the last 8 matches
- The "Both teams to score" bet has played out in five consecutive meetings
Prediction
The bookmakers are siding with Mechelen, and that looks justified. The club looked sharp against Charleroi, and for this match, "Mechelen to win with a (0) handicap" at odds of 1.55 is the recommended bet.
