Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Belgian Pro League clash between Kortrijk and Standard Liege, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Kortrijk will be looking to pick up their first home win of the 2024-25 Belgian Pro League campaign when they go head to head with Standard Liege on Sunday.
Les Rouches are unbeaten in each of their last four visits to the Guldensporen Stadion since a 2-1 loss in December 2020 and will head into the weekend aiming to extend this impressive run.
Match preview
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Kortrijk were sent crashing back down to earth in the new Pro League campaign as they suffered a 4-1 defeat against newcomers Dender at the Van Roystadion last Saturday.
After falling behind to goals from Roman Kvet and Bruny Nsimba, Tomoki Takamine pulled one back for the hosts in the 39th minute, but Mohamed Berte struck twice in the second half to inspire Dender to an emphatic victory in front of their home supporters.
This came just six days after Freyr Alexandersson‘s men edged out Cercle Brugge 2-1 at the Jan Breydel Stadium to secure their first win of the season courtesy of goals in either hand from Nacho Ferri and Mark Mampasi.
Having kicked off the season with a 1-0 home defeat against Gent on July 28, Kortrijk have now lost two of their opening three games and will be looking to bounce back this weekend as they aim to improve on their performance from last term.
After finishing second in the relegation round, just one point above the automatic drop zone, De Kerels salvaged their season in the last chance saloon as they picked up a 5-2 aggregate victory over Lommel in the playoff final to preserve their top-flight status.
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Standard Liege, on the other hand, were guilty of a lack of cutting edge in front of goal as they played out a goalless draw with Mechelen when the sides squared off last Saturday.
In an end-to-end affair at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne, a total of 26 shots were fired in the game, but neither goalkeeper would end up picking the ball out of the back of the net as both teams split the points.
Prior to that, Standard Liege kicked off the 2024-25 league campaign with a goalless draw against Genk at Cegeka Arena on July 28, one week before picking up a 1-0 home victory over Club Brugge courtesy of a second-half strike from Marko Bulat.
While Ivan Leko‘s men will look to find their feet this weekend, their form on the road is currently nothing to write home about as they have failed to win any their last 18 competitive away games, losing 11 and claiming seven draws draws since a 2-1 victory at Oud-Heverlee Leuven on September 30.
However, Standard Liege will be backing themselves to end this dire run as they journey to the Guldensporen Stadion, where they are unbeaten in their last four visits, picking up three wins and one draw since a 2-1 loss in December 2020.
Kortrijk Belgian Pro League form:
Kortrijk form (all competitions):
Standard Liege Belgian Pro League form:
Standard Liege form (all competitions):
Team News
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Kortrijk will take to the pitch without Lokomotiv Moscow loanee Mampassi, who is currently suspended after picking up a red card against Dender last time out.
On the injury front, De Kerels remain without the services of Abdoulaye Sissako and 20-year-old Djibi Seck, who have been ruled out through meniscus and muscle injuries.
Belgian defender Gilles Dewaele has been sidelined since coming off injured in the friendly game against Cardiff City on July 13 and the 28-year-old will also play no part in Sunday’s clash.
As for Standard Liege, Leko will be unable to name the duo of Hakim Sahabo and experienced goalkeeper Laurent Henkinet, who are currently recuperating from knee injuries.
Arnaud Bodart has been out of action since coming off injured against Mechelen in April while Irishman Souleyman Doumbia will also play no part in Sunday’s game as he continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Kortrijk possible starting lineup:
Gunnarsson; Alebiosu, El Idrissy, Silva, Fujii, De Neve; Kaneko, Takamine, Mehssatou, Kadri; Ferri
Standard Liege possible starting lineup:
Epolo; Fossey, Sutalo, Hautekiet, Bates, Lawrence; Price, Bulat, O’Neill, Kuavita; Kyei
We say: Kortrijk 1-1 Standard Liege
Looking at recent meetings between Kortrijk and Standard Liege, we anticipate a cagey affair at the Guldensporen Stadion this weekend. De Kerels have struggled to find their feet this season but we predict they will hold out for a share of the spoils against Leko’s men who have been poor on their travels.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.