Our prediction for this Belgium Pro League match:
Saturday’s football match at Elindus Arena pits together Waregem and Kortrijk, the two teams who sit in the opposite halves of the table ahead of Matchday 9. The 15th-place hosts aim to make amends for back-to-back defeats to Cercle Brugge and Royale Union SG, but they will have to do it without suspended midfielder Abdoulaye Sissako. Kortrijk, on the other hand, occupy 6th position in the standings ahead of the trip to Waregem.
De Kerels quickly bounced back from a 2-1 loss to Leuven, with the team beating Gent at home ground thanks to Faiz Selemanie’s goal. Kortrijk are more of a team than Waregem, and given the Essevee’s shaky defence, away win should definitely be considered. The good news for the visitors is that both Aleksandar Radovanovic and Lucas Rougeaux return from suspensions.
Highlighted Player (Saido Berahino):
Saido Berahino was born on 4 August, 1993 in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. He began his senior career at West Bromwich Albion at age 17, but in the 2011/2012 he was sent on loan to Northampton Town. After ending his loan spells with Brentford and Peterborough United in 2012, the right-footed attacker returned to the Hawthorns.
Berahino impressed in the 2014/2015 Premier League campaign, with the English striker scoring 14 goals in 38 appearances for the team. At the end of the season he was on the verge of joining Tottenham Hotspur, but he eventually stayed at the Hawthorns.
Berahino has yet to make his England debut, but he scored ten goals in 11 appearances for England U21 team. It is well known that Berahino is a Manchester United fan. In 2015 he founded his own charity foundation which helps disadvantaged people in Great Britain improve the quality of their lives.
Highlighted Team (Waregem):
Over the years Zulte Waregem have established themselves as a top-table side in Belgian Super League. The Essevee are a product of a partnership between Zulte and Waregem and it has to be noted that Zulte Sportief were founded back in 1950.
Zulte Waregem impressed in the 2012/2013 Belgian Super League campaign, with the team finishing the process in second place in the standings, only four points behind champions Anderlecht. As a result, the Essevee booked their place in the Europa League group stages, but despite recording victories over the likes of Maribor and Wigan Athletic in Group D the Belgian side eventually failed to advance to the knockout stages of the European competition.
Zulte Waregem, who welcome their rivals at Regenboogstadion, will play in the group stages of the Europa League in the 2017/2018 season. Zulte Waregem, who won the Belgian Cup in the 2016/2017 season, will face the likes of Nice, Lazio and Vitesse in Group K.