Mechelen
- KV Mechelen have not been in good form recently, picking up two draws and three defeats in their last five games, while RSC Anderlecht are a dangerous but erratic outfit, winning three and losing two of their previous five.
- Frederik Vanderbiest took over as Mechelen coach on 4 March 2025 and has made them into a low-risk, pragmatic unit that is very difficult to beat when they sit deep and defend in numbers.
- Mechelen will aim to protect the central lanes and play a quick counter-attack against Anderlecht, which can be devastating when their spark Myron van Brederode has the ball on a string.
- Mechelen's previous two league results were a 2-0 away defeat to Royal Charleroi SC and a 2-2 away draw with RAAL La Louviere.
Anderlecht
- Anderlecht have been much better in the attacking third since Vítor Bruno took over on 1 July 2026.
- He has been building his blueprint on the back of possession dominance, tempo and pressure, which means they will try to take control of Friday's affair.
- Anderlecht are 10th with six from four.
Head-to-Head
- Mechelen have won 1 of the last 5 head-to-heads (W1, D1, L3).
- Last season's 2-2 draw at Anderlecht's ground in the First Division A Championship Group 2026 showed that this can be a tense fixture.
Key Players
- Myron van Brederode has already put three goals on the board in four Pro League 2026/2027 appearances and is the Malinwa's most efficient scorer in the last five, with three of their last five goals coming via his feet.
- Danylo Sikan, with four in five, is Anderlecht's leading scorer with the Paars-Wit notching nine goals in that run.
- The visitors have also gained an edge from the pace and incisiveness of Adriano Bertaccini, who has one goal in two Pro League 2026/2027 games, and the livewire creativity of Ali Maamar, who has two assists in four.
Betting Insights
- Anderlecht are the slight favorites for Friday's game at 2.03, while a tie is 3.65 and Mechelen 3.56.
- An alternative way to play the 2.03 favorite is on the BTTS market as Mechelen have looked leaky at home in this matchup and while Anderlecht are in excellent goalscoring form, they have shipped four in two away games.
Prediction
Our view is that this will be close and the head-to-head record edges it towards Anderlecht to nick it.