Our prediction for this Belgium Pro League match:
Kortrijk
Match Time & Date:
02/10/2022
18:30
Prediction: 1-2
Antwerp
Guldensporen Stadion will host Sunday’s Belgium Jupiler Pro League game between Kortrijk and Antwerp, the two teams who sit in the opposite halves of the table. The home side will try to make amends for back-to-back losses against Anderlecht and Mechelen, but the bookmakers see them as the underdogs in this encounter. Kortrijk’s shaky defence conceded eight goals in their last two league games, and it is no wonder the odds for away win have been dropping. All Massimo Bruno, Luqman Hakim, Amine Benchaib, Abdelkahar Kadri and Jonah Osabutey are unlikely to recover in time to face the league leaders.
Antwerp, on the other hand, are having a perfect start to the season and they aim to keep their 100% record intact. New signing Vincent Jansen has scored six goals in his last five starts for Mark Van Bommel’s men and he will surely try to add more goals to his account. Given Kortrijk’s shaky defence, we predict that the visitors are going to pick up all three points from Sunday’s clash. All Faris Haroun, Michael Frey and Ange Balikwisha are rated doubtful, whereas both Aurélio Buta and Arbnor Muja are out of contention through injuries. Björn Engels is back in training and is pushing for a start.
Highlighted Player (Radja Nainggolan):
Born on 4 May 1988, Radja Nainggolan is a Belgian footballer who plays for AS Roma as a central midfielder. The combative midfielder failed to leave a mark on domestic stage, having left his first club Germinal Beerschot for Piacenza as a 17-year-old. Nainggolan soon started to prove his worth at senior level, earning a move to Cagliari in 2010.
He continued with impressive performances in Italian Serie A and eventually snubbed a number of top European sides to join AS Roma in 2014.The central midfielder enjoyed a very good start to his career at Stadio Olimpico, while also establishing himself as a first team regular in the Belgian national team, helping the Red Devils climb to first place in FIFA Rankings and also qualify for the Euro 2016 finals.
A highly skilled midfielder who does not shirk from defensive duties, Nainggolan is also famous for his fiery temperament that has seen him earn 2 red cards and over 70 yellow cards during the course of his career.
Highlighted Team (Antwerp):
Founded back in 1880, Antwerp is one of the oldest clubs in Belgium. The Great Old welcome their rivals at Bosuilstadion, the venue with the capacity of 16,144 people. Antwerp are well known for their red home kits, with the team wearing white shirts and white jerseys when playing on the travels.
Over the years Antwerp have been trying to close the gap between Belgian giants Anderlecht and Club Brugge, but they have yet to win the title in the recent history. The Great Old clinched their first domestic trophy back in 1929, with the team repeating the success two years later. The third and the fourth titles came in 1944 and 1957 respectively.
Beerschot A.C. are considered the club’s fiercest rivals, but they have a rivalry with Club Brugge as well. The club chiefs had a long-term partnership with famous English club Manchester United in the past, with Antwerp taking young footballers on loan to Old Trafford.
