Jupiler Pro League - Round 20 Preview

There's a full programme scheduled after the disruption prior to Christmas. Can the in-form Buffalo's stop runaway Anderlecht and who will come out smiling in the Brugge derby?

Dec 26, 2009 3:00:00 PM

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Mbark Boussoufa, Anderlecht (foto PRO SHOTS)

Saturday

Standard v Lokeren
Sint-Truiden v KV Mechelen
Germinal Beerschot v KRC Genk
Club Brugge v Cercle Brugge
Charleroi v Roeselare
Mouscron v Kortrijk

Sunday

KAA Gent v Anderlecht
Zulte Waregem v Westerlo

Standard v Lokeren

The pressure is really on Bölöni Lászlo after two successive home defeats to Roeselare in the league and then Kortrijk in the cup. The champions are seventh in the table and need to win in order to kickstart their season to life. Axel Witsel is available despite receiving seven stitches for a head wound incurred in a clash with Kortrijk 'keeper Glenn Verbauwhede during the Belgian Cup clash. Milan Jovanovic is still unavailable however as he recovers from a successful knee operation. In addition it appears that Gregory Dufer will start on the right in place of Wilfried Dalmat.

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Lokeren couldn't build on their win against Mouscron and lost agonisingly in stoppage time to a late Stijn de Smet winner. To their credit, they came the closest of any team recently to stopping Gent. They remain second bottom of the table but will be quietly optimistic of pulling off a shock with the players talking of the need to turn the home fans against Les Rouches. Long term absences aside, only Marcel Mbayo is doubtful, although he has been named in the match squad.

Prediction: Standard might struggle against a rejuvenated Lokeren. 1-1.

Sint-Truiden v KV Mechelen

Sint-Truiden were one of the beneficiaries of the games that did go ahead clinching a dramatic win in somewhat comical circumstances away to Roeselare. De Kanarien will be very pleased that they are in a healthy position - eighth in the table and well clear of relegation trouble as things stand. Manager Guido Brepoels welcomes back Peter Delorge from suspension however Yonick Antheunis and Jeroen Appeltans are unavailable. It's likely that an unchanged side will be named.

Malinwa received a Friday night off after their home game against Germinal Beerschot was postponed due to the heavy snow. A poor run of form now sees KVM in eleventh spot when earlier in the season they had looked strong contenders for a play-off berth. They will have to recover from the blow this week of the news that goalkeeper Olivier Renard has damaged vertebra in his neck and will be out for several months. Former STVV player Jeroen Mellemans is also out of this one.

Prediction:  This should be an evenly contested game though I'm backing the home side to edge it 2-1.

Germinal Beerschot v KRC Genk

De Ratten will have been disappointed not to play last week against Mechelen and will want to ensure that the momentum they had previously built up is not lost. However their goalless draw against Charleroi indicated that Faris Haroun is the key component in the side's potency and they will have to do without the topscorer until 2010. Midfielder Osei Gyan King is also still recovering from an operation.

Unfortunately for Genk, their young attacker Dugary has had to undergo another operation, this time for a broken leg, shortly after returning from a previous long term injury. He will be out for four months. The underachieving side who are an astonishing thirteenth in the table desperately need to begin to haul themselves up the table if they want to achieve their stated goal of a top 6 spot. Genk have also indicated they will strengthen in January and several of their first-teamers may be playing here for their Genk futures.  They drew at home to Zulte last time out and at 1-2 down showed good resolve to come back. New father Marvin Ogunjimni will hope to continue his recent good form.

Prediction: Genk are showing signs of improvement and GBA don't look quite the side they were a couple of weeks ago. It will be a spicy encounter though with five former Genkenaars turning out for De Ratten. 2-2.

Club Brugge v Cercle Brugge

The second Brugge derby of the season has been surrounded by controversy as some Cercle fans aren't happy at being asked to fork out €26 for a ticket, especially as they will of course be playing in their own (shared) stadium.  The home side are unchanged from previous games with the exception that Paraguayan defender Antolin Alcaraz misses out with a calf injury. Gertjan de Mets looks set to deputise. Despite his red card in the cup, Carl Hoefkens has been cleared to play. Club are in second place and also through to the last 32 in the Europa League and manager Adrie Koster will be hoping now to mount a serious title challenge as his charges concentrate solely on domestic matters.

Groen-Zwart meanwhile will take to the field well rested as their previous two games have been cancelled - firstly due to Mouscron's forfeit and then the cup tie with Zulte was a victim of the weather. Glen de Boeck's side are in twelfth place after their "win" and haven't impressed this campaign with some saying they have simply come back down to earth after overachieving.

Prediction: Club are back on track after a mini-slump and I fully expect them to keep up the pressure on RSCA. 3-1

Charleroi v Roeselare

Though fans, managers and players alike are divided by the idea of playing Christmas football in Belgium, one man who has seen it all before is Tommy Craig, Charleroi's Scottish manager who will feel right at home in the bitter cold that Belgium is experiencing at the moment. His relegation battlers take on Roeselare in what he would term as a "six-pointer". Only Lokeren separate these two fellow occupants of the bottom 3 spots with the away side still rock-bottom despite a win in Liège after an unfortunate home defeat to STVV last time out.

Tommy Craig still has to do without injured duo Peter Franquart and Sébastien Chabaud for the match that will be officated by Belgium's best known ref Frank de Bleeckere. Roeselare have doubts over quartet Mahamadou Dissa, Samir El Gaaouiri, Stefan Nikolic and keeper Jurgen Sierens.

Prediction: This looks like being one of those relegation scraps where neither side gets what they need from the match. 0-0

Mouscron v Kortrijk

It's another waiting game for everyone concerned with Mouscron as no-one has idea who will play if indeed there are sufficient players who wish to turn out. Interesingly, the curators have come out in public and stated there are enough players to fulfil the fixture. The whole Mouscron affair is an ugly blot on what has otherwise been a typically fascinating Belgian league season and it can only be hoped that it is resolved as quickly as possible for the benefit of the entire competition. Kortrijk have stated they will prepare as normal and are ready to face whatever team is set out in front of them. Had both teams been at full strength, this would have been an interesting fixture with both sides punching well above their weight - Kortrijk in sixth and Mouscron just inside the bottom half in tenth place.

Prediction: Kortrijk are on a real high and they certainly won't be pushed here as much as they were late on at Sclessin. 0-4.

KAA Gent v Anderlecht

The game of the week pits the table toppers with the other in-form side in Belgium. Third placed Gent welcome Anderlecht to the Jules Ottenstadion hoping to improve on their record of just one home win against Les Mauves in their last eight meetings. Anderlecht have won their last ten league games in succession and may well have added an eleventh had their top-of-the-table encounter with Club Brugge gone ahead. Coach Michel Preud'homme has done an excellent job with De Buffalo's and an average of almost two points per game at this stage of the season is not far off title winning form. They snatched a late win in Lokeren last week. It appeared as if an eventful match was destined to end scoreless however Stijn de Smet clearly had other ideas and his late goal gave Gent their sixth win on the spin.

Team news will follow tomorrow.

Prediction: Gent look like the only team who can stop RSCA with the possible exception of Brugge however Paars-Wit have excelled at both home and abroad. How well Mbark Boussoufa plays against his old club could be the decisive factor. It's very tough to call but why sit on the fence. 3-2.

Zulte Waregem v Westerlo

Francky Dury deserves a huge amount of credit for Zulte's fifth place as they approach this home game with Westerlo.  His managerial prowess will be tested as he has to do without the bruising duo of Karel D'Haene and Khyleem Hyland whose suspension has been carried over to the league due to the postponement of the cup game against Cercle. Essevee drew last time out in Genk and will have been disappointed not to have clinched all three points.

De Kempenaren are meanwhile boosted by the return of star player Oleksandr Iakovenko who will start alongside the country's top scorer last season Jaime Ruiz. Westerlo are having a solid season, sitting in ninth place and Ruiz did look impressive last week during his comeback against Kortrijk. Though the game ended in a draw, the Colombian set up a goal with a flick on and almost scored a goal that would have clinched it at 0-1 up however he was denied by the snow.  Former Chelsea player Michael Modubi is doubtful as are Momodou Ceesay and Glenn van Asten.

Prediction: Zulte will expect to win this comfortably but Westerlo may shock them with the returning Ruiz linking up with the wonderfully creative Iakovenko. 1-2.

Gary Niblock, Goal.com
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