Our prediction for this Belgium Pro League match:
Sparkles will be flying when Antwerp and Club Brugge go head to head in the Jupiler League derby at Bosuilstadion in Sunday’s matinee. Antwerp aim to build on a hard-fought 1-0 win over Club Brugge and they have a chance to climb to get level on points with the Blauw-Zwart. Mandela Keita serves a one-game ban due to the accumulation of yellow cards, while both Ange Balikwisha and Anthony Valencia are sidelined with injuries.
The visitors, on the other hand, dropped two points in a 3-3 draw with Kortrijk. Club Brugge are determined to keep their title hopes alive and given their intention to adopt an attack-minded approach in Sunday’s showdown, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Both Joel Ordonez and Chemsdine Talbi are sidelined with injuries, but there are no suspended players in the away team.
Highlighted Player (Hans Vanaken):
Hans Vanaken is a Belgian footballer who was born in Neerpelt on August 24, 1992. Hans Vanaken is a product of PSV football academy, joining the club at the age of 10, but in 2008 he joined Lommel United. The Belgian midfielder continued wearing the green shirt at senior level, scoring 21 goals in 80 appearances for the club in the league.
In 2013 he moved to Lokeren and after spending two seasons at Daknamstadion, he signed a deal with famous Belgian team Club Brugge. Vanaken has established himself as one of the team’s key players and he is likely to play an important role in the Jan Breydel Stadium outfit in the 2019/2020 Europa League season.
His main position is attacking midfielder, but he is used as both central midfielder and left midfielder as well. He has a contract with Club Brugge until June 30, 2024.
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.