Club Brugge (home)
- Club Brugge have three wins and two losses in their last five First Division A matches.
- Club Brugge KV and RAAL La Louvière will play out a matchup of contrasting philosophies at the top of the table when the visitors arrive at the Jan Breydelstadion on Friday.
- The hosts are heavy favorites to win this game at 1.33 with bookmakers making the visitors, who pulled off a shock 1-0 upset over Brugge in their most recent clash, 8.75 outsiders.
- Nicky Hayen’s Bruges side play an aggressive, high-pressing style with a lot of dynamic attacks and transitions from a solid possession base.
- But Ivan Leko, who takes over from Hayen for this game, might bring a little more structure to their game and certainly more defensive discipline.
- Recent wins have seen Brugge move up to second spot in the Jupiler Pro League with 41 points from 20 matches.
RAAL La Louvière (away)
- RAAL La Louviere are winless in their last five First Division A games (D3, L2).
- RAAL La Louviere, on the other hand, have been built by Frédéric Taquin into a compact, counter-attacking side with disciplined midfield lines and defenders.
- They are tough to break down and have a pragmatic, no-frills approach that has them 14th in the league with 20 points from 20 games.
- They stunned Brugge in September with a 1-0 win despite the Blue-Blacks controlling possession and chances.
Head-to-Head
- Brugge have won six of the last nine head-to-head meetings in all competitions (D2, L1).
- They have dominated the head-to-head record in the modern era while RAAL stunned them in September with a 1-0 win despite the Blue-Blacks controlling possession and chances.
Club Brugge
- Christos Tzolis is their main goal threat and leads the team in both goals and assists this season, but they have enough quality behind him to make chances.
- Hans Vanaken is Brugge’s conductor in midfield and a constant set-piece threat as well as captain, but the best exact score bet for Brugge to get through this test with three points is the 2-1 option.
- Nicolo Tresoldi and Hugo Vetlesen provide secondary options for goals.
RAAL La Louvière
- RAAL have enough in Pape Moussa Fall and Jerry Afriyie to score on the counter and will get chances to do so.
- Wagane Faye, who scored RAAL’s winner against Brugge in September, will anchor their defense again and always poses a set-piece threat.
Betting Insights
- The draw is 4.8, which would suit RAAL La Louvière best as they try to stay out of the relegation zone while the hosts aim to stay in the championship race.
- Backing Brugge to get at least two goals looks a sure thing, given they have scored eight in their last three wins, but also conceded in both their defeats.
- So both teams to score and over 2.5 goals odds look tempting at 1.93 and 1.67 respectively.
Prediction
The best exact score bet for Brugge to get through this test with three points is the 2-1 option.
