Gent takes on Eupen in the Ghelamco Arena. Can Gent show to its own audience that it will compete at the top of the rankings? Or does Eupen prove that it is not a relegation candidate?
Gent:
Gent shows that it is there immediately and that makes the fans dream of a great season. If they can qualify for the Europa League in August and points are earned in the competition, the first goal is achieved. No Mikael Lustig at AA Gent last weekend. The Swede had some nuisance after the match against Viitorul and was sidelined on Mambourg as a precaution. The return match against Viitorul is not compromised for him. In his place, Alessio Castro-Montes appeared on the right back. Laurent Depoitre finally fell next to the competition selection. He continues to work on his condition. Also Sigurd Rosted was not there. He paid for his individual mistakes against Viitorul.
Charleroi won almost all duels against Gent in the first half hour and was always first on the second ball. Then it becomes difficult to get control over the match. Only in the last fifteen minutes before the break did Gent begin to play football. Then they showed the offensive qualities needed to win a match like this. Yuya Kubo scored twice off narrowly offside, but in the end AA Gent took the lead from a stationary phase. Nevertheless, Gent left a well-deserved win in the end by defending, just as European inattentive.
Thanks to a header goal from record gain Michael Ngadeu, the Buffalos seemed to be on their way to victory for a long time. “It was almost indeed an unforgettable debut for me and of course that late equalizer hurts,” said the central defender. “We hoped to book an important selection and actually we never ran into problems after the break. A moment of loss of concentration and a lack of healthy aggressiveness will cost us a lot. Very sour. I felt a bit tired in the final quarter, but that makes sense, “said Ngadeu, who was still playing the Africa Cup with Cameroon.
Eupen:
After a disappointing match against Antwerp, Eupen wants to get some new players. The first may well come from Spain. KAS Eupen shows interest in Jordi Amat. The defender is currently working at Rayo Vallecano, but he wants to leave there after the relegation. Amat could add a lot of quality and experience to the Eupen defense. The 27-year-old Catalan started his career with Espanyol Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano before moving on to the Premier League. He played regularly with them in four seasons at Swansea City.
Antwerp started the match very well because Dieumerci Mbokani immediately scored a goal. Hendrik Van Crombrugge was able to intervene on a shot by Geoffry Hairemans, but he had no story on the rebound. In the end of the first half, the Pandas came on the same level again after a formidable bang from newcomer Jon Bautista. After the break, Antwerp immediately claimed possession. Eupen defended well in the first instance, but she soon fell behind. A second time to make up for a backlog was no longer possible. It even became a painful defeat.
PREDICTION: Over 2,5 goals @ 1,54
