Our prediction for this Belgium Pro League match:
All eyes will be on Lotto Park when Anderlecht and Antwerp take on each other in the Jupiler League derby on Saturday evening. The capital club aim to recover from a shocking 1-0 loss to Kortrijk and they are likely to fight tooth and nail against Antwerp. Midfielder Yari Verschaeren limped off with injury in the last league match, with Mario Stroeykens likely to step up.
The Reds, on the other hand, head into the match following a 1-1 draw with St Gilloise. As the reigning champions are likely to stick to their attacking style of play, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. In their last meeting in the Belgian top flight the two sides played out a 1-1 draw, which goes in favour of our earlier prediction. As for the away team, left-back Owen Wijndal is a major doubt after limping off with injury in the last league fixture.
Highlighted Player (Thorgan Hazard):
While his brother Eden Hazard stars for Chelsea, Thorgan Hazard plays for Borussia Monchengladbach in Bundesliga. Thorgan was born in La Louviere, Belgium on 29 march, 1993 and he played for the likes of Royal Stade Brainois, Tubize and Lens during his youth career.
Hazard made 14 appearances for Lens before joining Chelsea in 2012. He did not make his Chelsea debut as he was immediately sent on loan to Zulte Waregem, where he scored 17 goals in 73 league appearances for the club. On 5 July, 2014 he signed a loan deal with Borussia Monchengladbach and in February, 2015 he signed a permanent contract with the Bundesliga outfit. The Belgian midfielder made his first start for the club on 24 September, 2014 against Hamburg.
Speaking of his international career, Thorgan Hazard made his Belgium debut on 29 May, 2013 in a 4-2 win over USA. He has 15 caps for Belgium U21 and he scored nine goals in 15 appearances for the team. His full name is Thorgan Ganael Francis Hazard.
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.