Standard Liège - Cercle Brugge: Who will start the new season with a victory?
The new Belgian Pro League season gets underway on Saturday, August 8, with Standard Liège facing Cercle Brugge in the opening match. The game kicks off at 18:15 CET, and I am offering a betting tip for it.
Standard Liège - Cercle Brugge: Match preview
Last season, Standard Liège failed to finish in the top six and instead competed for seventh place and a potential UEFA Conference League spot. They collected 37 points over the course of the campaign and finished eighth, missing out on the chance to qualify for the UEFA Conference League. In preparation for the new season, Standard played seven friendly matches, winning four and losing three.
Cercle Brugge played just four friendlies before the season and failed to win any of them. They lost twice and drew twice. Last season, they were fighting to avoid relegation from the top flight. They collected 41 points over the campaign and finished almost 20 points clear of the bottom spot.
Match facts and H2H
- Standard Liège have lost three of their last four matches.
- Cercle Brugge are winless in their last six matches.
- Cercle Brugge have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight consecutive matches.
- Standard Liège have conceded in each of their last four games.
- Standard Liège beat Cercle Brugge 2-1 in their most recent meeting.
Expected lineups
- Standard Liège: Epolo, Fossey, Mortensen, Hautekiet, Abid, Trouillet, Nielsen, Karamoko, Ilaimaharitra, Nkada, Drammeh
- Cercle Brugge: Langenbick, Konaté, Caicedo, Kakou, Kondo, Diakité, Diaby, Jurado, Gerkens, Diakité, Vanzeir
Prediction
Both teams will clearly want to make a strong start to the season and begin with a victory. This should be an intriguing and entertaining encounter. I am offering a bet on both teams to score.
