The third matchday is coming up in the Belgian championship round. As there are only six rounds of matches due to this year’s reduction of the starting field, the individual play-off matches are particularly important this season. The home side have two wins so far and have climbed to second place in the table.
For the visitors, it was again only enough for two draws so far, which means that they are in third place, just like at the start of the playoffs. For the match at the Luminus Arena between Genk and Anderlecht, the prediction includes a win for the hosts.
Prediction & Live Odds for Genk vs. Anderlecht
The Genk team is becoming dangerous for Bruges in the race for the title. However, with four games to go and a five-point deficit, the prospects are still slim. Nevertheless, the Smurfs can be said to be in very stable form towards the end of the season.
For the match between Genk and Anderlecht, the is for a home win. The four-time title holders of the country will be very motivated due to their position in the table and of course know that only a victory counts in the title fight.
Genk – Statistics & current form
The KRC is undoubtedly the team of the moment in the Jupiler League: Two weeks ago they won the cup and the start into the playoffs has been a success. A win in Antwerp was followed by an impressive victory against the champions from Bruges. The FCB was beaten 3:0 and the manner was astonishing.
After all, Brugge has clearly been the best team in the Belgian top flight over the course of the season and usually led their opponents by the dozen. Thanks to Genk’s wins, the race for the championship is now even more exciting than expected: The gap between Bruges and the Blue and Whites is only five points.
Once again, top-scorer Paul Onuchua scored in the match against Clement’s side. The Nigerian has 31 goals for the season and is the top scorer in the Jupiler League. But last year’s seventh-placed team can not only rely on Onuchua, but also on several other efficient attacking players such as Belgian Theo Bongonda – five goals in the last six matches – or Japanese Junya Ito.
KRC have the best offence after the champions
Thanks to this concentrated offensive power of the 2019 champions, it is little wonder that coach John van den Brom’s team scored three goals in each of the first two play-off matches. Already in the regular season, only the Bruges attack topped the Genk attack.
Expected line-up of Genk:
Vandevoordt – Arteaga – Lucumi – Cuesta – Munoz – Toma – Hrosovsky – Bongonda – Thorstvedt – Ito – Onuachu
Anderlecht – Statistics & current form
Anderlecht have already been happy to qualify for the championship round this season. The team is still in a rebuilding phase and coach Vincent Kompany is not without controversy, as he has made slow progress in his first coaching position with his youth club.
Things have improved recently, however, and the team has not lost in around two months. However, the start to the playoffs was mixed: While the first draw with Bruges was still respectable and was paired with a strong performance, they had to settle for a draw against Antwerp again last Saturday.
RSC’s defence starts to wobble
In view of the numerous absences of the players from the Scheldt, this was a bit little in retrospect. Moreover, the match revealed once again that the once very secure defence has degraded. Both Bruges and the oldest club in the country were able to strike twice against the Violets in the play-off matches so far.
Predicted Anderlecht line-up:
Verbruggen – Miazga – Cobbaut – Debast – Murillo – Lokonga – Verschaeren – Trebel – Ait El Hadj – Nmecha – Ashimeru