Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Belgian Pro League clash between Union SG and Genk, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Round 40 of the 2023-24 Belgian Pro League season sees Union SG and Genk face off against each other at the Stade Joseph Marien on Sunday evening.
The hosts are unbeaten in six straight games heading into this one, while their visitors go in search of consecutive victories having returned to winning ways last time out.
Match preview
© Reuters
Union SG picked up a first league triumph since April as they defeated Cercle Brugge 2-1 in Sunday’s encounter at the Jan Breydel Stadion.
Alexander Blessin‘s men got their noses in front just shy of the half-hour mark thanks to Gustaf Nilsson but conceded a Felipe Augusto equaliser shortly afterwards before Alessio Castro-Montes grabbed the winner five minutes into the second period.
Consequently, Les Unionistes have moved up to second place in the Belgian Pro League table, three points shy of division leaders Club Brugge.
Next up is the challenge of an opposing outfit with little to choose between the teams over the last 11 meeting since 2020 which have yielded four wins apiece and three draws.
Having kept clean sheets in each of their last two matches on home turf, Sunday’s hosts will be keen to put on a solid defensive display as they look to pick up a much-needed win in their battle for domestic glory.
Genk snapped a run of four consecutive defeats by narrowly beating defending champions Royal Antwerp 1-0 at the Cegeka Arena on Monday afternoon.
Domenico Olivieri‘s men took the lead in the 28th minute through Andi Zeqiri‘s opener which turned out to be the all-important moment in a cagey contest.
With 37 points picked up so far, De Smurfen sit fourth in the league standings, just one point clear of Cercle Brugge in the race for the Conference League playoff spot.
Off the back of three straight defeats on the road by a combined score of 10-2, Sunday’s visitors have work to do at both ends of the pitch to avoid another fruitless outing away from home.
Union SG Belgian Pro League form:
Genk Belgian Pro League form:
Team News
Genk duo Bilal El Khannouss and Aziz Ouattara are both ruled out with muscle injuries, while Bryan Heynen misses out with an ankle problem.
The away side will also be without the services of Luca Oyen and Yira Sor who are currently battling knee and groin injuries respectively.
Following his opener last time out, Gustaf Nilsson has now been directly involved in 19 goals for Union SG, making him one to keep an eye on here.
Twenty-five-year-old Ross Sykes was handed a rare start for the hosts last time out and will be pushing to retain his place in the lineup.
Union SG possible starting lineup:
Moris; Sykes, Burgess, Mac Allister; Teklab, Puertas, Vanhoutte, Rasmussen, Castro-Montes; Amoura, Nilsson
Genk possible starting lineup:
Vandevoordt; Sadick, Cuesta, McKenzie; El Ouahdi, Galarza, Hrosovsky, Kayembe; Karetsas, Zeqiri, Arokodare
We say: Union SG 2-1 Genk
Needing all three points to stand any chance of being crowned champions, Union SG are faced with a must-win clash this weekend and we are backing them to rise up to the task and come out on top at the sound of the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.