Our prediction for this Belgium Pro League match:
Stade Maurice Dufrasne will host Sunday’s football game between Standard Liege and Antwerp. The Red Devils survived Kortrijk in the Belgian Cup on Wednesday evening, and they are now on a quest to return to winning ways in the Jupiler League. Defender Noe Dussenne is banned for the match, while Fai, Oulare, and Vanheusden are all likely to miss the game with injuries.
Antwerp, on the other hand, showed character in a 2-1 win at Beerschot VA, with the team scoring two late goals to pick up all three points from the match. Franky Vercauteren’s troops are on a four-game winning run in all competitions, and seeing that they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play against Standard Liege, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Dieumerci Mbokani remains in the recovery room for the visitors.
Highlighted Player (Mehdi Carcela-González):
Despite being born in Liege, Belgium on July 1, 1989, Mehdi Carcela represents Morocco on the international stage. Carcela initially chose to play for his country of birth Belgium, taking part in two friendlies with the Red Devils, but in February 2011 he made his debut with Morocco.
He represented Morocco at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia, but the African side failed to make it to the knockout stages of the showpiece tournament. Speaking of his club career, Mehdi Carcela played for the likes of Standard Liege, Anzhi, Benfica, Granada and Olympiakos (on loan). He currently plays for Standard Liege on loan from Granada.
Mehdi Carcela’s main position is right winger, but he is capable of playing as both attacking midfielder and left winger as well. In the 2008/2009 season the Morocco international won the Belgian Pro League with Standard and seven seasons later he repeated the success with Benfica as the Eagles won Primeira Liga. His preferred foot is left.
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.