A weekly recap with all the latest on team news, player form, injuries, betting angles, ...
Antwerp vs Anderlecht 0-0
Antwerp
Antwerp made a very solid start in the league which makes the first home match from promoted team angle hold up. They showed a lot of intensity during the first half and used a lot of energy after which they got pushed back by Anderlecht in the 2nd half. Goalkeeper Bolat was man of the match. The point was not stolen and based on this performance, Antwerp should be ok this season and I will keep an eye out to back them mainly at home where the home support will more then once make a difference.
Anderlecht
Anderlecht again played a much better 2nd half which is something I will continue to keep in mind when wanting to bet them. They have a lot of potential in the team but need some player to get in better form to really shine. Top striker Theo has been out of form since the play-offs last season which instantly makes them a less overish team right now. Anderlecht are a team to back once they reach their best form even with high handicap lines.
Lokeren vs Club Brugge 0-4
Lokeren
Lokeren played a really poor match in every line and it will remain to be seen if it they are bad or if it was just a total off-day. Next match at least they should show a lot more intensity, lokeren with their players should be able to do better but they have to be careful not to get into a negative spiral early on.
Club Brugge
Solid performance from Club Brugge which also has to be seen in perspective as the early 0-1 after 5 minutes made things so much easyer for them. Palacios got a red card at 0-3 score in minute 32' which killed the match. There was a lot of pressure on Club with a new coach and poor performance in last practice matches and CL qualif round. As shown in the past poor performances from top teams pre-season often mean good performance in the first match as they are focussed and opponent not on guard. New offensive player Dennis has been the revelation so far for Club
Eupen vs Waregem 0-5
Eupen
Eupen coach stated that he was going to put more focus on defense this season but their defensive quality was extremely poor which allowed Zulte-Waregem to score 5 goals. Eupen was able to take the lead but they missed a penalty. Offensively they will be much weaker this season without Onyewkuru and Sylla which might get them into trouble with a trip to Club Brugge next weekend
Waregem
A nice 0-5 win for Zulte-Waregem which was by no means a measurement as Eupen was really weak. Their rented players Saponjic and Olayinka allready showed their value and will be ones to keep an eye on. Zulte-Waregem will be a very interesting team betting wise this season.
Genk vs Waasland-Beveren 3-3
Genk did not continue their high level of the end of last season despite having a very similar team. Their potential is big though and a top 3 spot not unlikely. They did show to be able to step things up as they bended or 0-2 score into 3-2 just to see Waarsland score the equaliser in the last minute. a good betting Lesson is not to 'assume' a similar team will play similar level to matches over 2 months ago.
Waasland
Waasland was one of the surprises of the first week and just played an overall good match not putting everything on defense which resulted in a match with 6 goals and is something to keep in mind betting wise for upcoming matches. Still it's early on and a smaller team like this will need to confirm.
Charleroi vs Kortrijk 1-0
Charleroi
Charleroi started out as the better team and scored the early 1-0 with a penalty after 10 minutes. Their play is similar to last season where they give posession to the opponent and take the points often with 1-0 (13 times last season)
Kortrijk
Kortrijk played an ok match. They had intention to keep tight defense but got behind early. Top striker Saadi left which should make it more difficult for them to score goals without many chances.
Mechelen vs Standard 1-1
Mechelen
Mechelen had to match Standard in this match when it comes down to intensity. They managed to score the 1-0 early but gave it away again a minute later with a defensive mistake. It is hard to see this as a reference match. Quality wise Mechelen does not have a team to reach the top 6 but coach Ferreira tends to get the best out of a group.
Standard
Standard has a better team compared to last season and with coach Sa Pinto they have the mentality of a war machine. They will mainly be a difficult team to face team at home. Mpoku who is back allready showed he is going to be a very important offensive player for this Standard.
Stvv vs AA Gent 1-1
Stvv
The first part of this match was pretty boring with not much initiative from the home side and AA Gent took the deserved 0-1 lead before Half Time. The 2nd half was completely different after Vetokele scored the 1-1 as Stvv started to gain belief and play became much more offensive which resulted in a 3-2 score and a first win for Stvv. Celbllos was one of the better players and scored twice. Still early for stvv as Peeters and Gerkens leaving still counts as a big loss for their teamAA Gent
Gent who started to make more expensive transfers showed more ambition this year which might be spoken too soon. Right now they don't seem good enough mainly because they are missing too many chances and can't keep a clean sheet. Next match against Altach will be an important test.
Oostende vs Moeskroen 0-1
Oostende
This was a non-performance from Oostende after a great mid-week match against Marseille. This might be to the fact that they are new in Europe and the match was still in their legs. Their defense was ok, but they lacked offensively. I expect a lot of good things from Oostende once their European qualif rounds are over and they have focus on the league. As last year they will probably perform better against better teams and might have difficulty to make play against more defensive minded teams.Moeskroen
Moeskroen were seen as most likely team for relegation during the pre-season but they actually put in a good performance against Oostende as they played with a lot of discipline.