Royal Charleroi SC
- Royal Charleroi SC have won their last two away matches - at Royal Antwerp (0-2) and St.Truiden (0-2) - and lost their only home game in the same three-match period, when they were involved in a seven-goal thriller at the weekend when Cercle Brugge came away with the spoils 3-4.
- Hans Cornelis, appointed interim head coach in December 2025, has made the Zebras a pragmatic football team, one with plenty of width and plenty of directness, that can play either with a back four or back three, depending on the opponent.
- Charleroi have won four of their last five and lost the other, but their home record for the campaign stands at four wins, five draws and three losses.
Gent
- Gent, under new boss Rik De Mil, have also made a change to their way of playing since he took over in December 2025.
- The wing-back, possession-based system of his predecessor has been ditched for a more high-tempo style that includes a higher line and a lot more pressing.
- De Mil’s pressing approach has seen his team win their last away game 4-0 at Standard Liege, draw 1-1 at RAAL La Louviere and lose their previous home fixture 1-3 to Oud-Heverlee Leuven.
Head-to-Head
With this fixture likely to be won by small margins, and the recent head-to-head record reading three wins for Gent, one for Charleroi and one draw from the last five meetings , it is worth looking at other match details to find an edge.
Key Players
Parfait Guiagon, with eight goals in 21 First Division A appearances, is the Zebras’ biggest goal threat, while Gent’s top scorer is also on eight, but in 20 appearances, Wilfried Kanga has scored four of his team’s last 10 goals.
Betting Insights
- With the teams locked together on 33 points after 24 First Division A fixtures, Gent 6th and Charleroi 7th, the hosts are the slight favorites at 2.1, while the visitors are marked at 3.45 and the draw at 3.35.
- Backing both teams to score at 1.95 seems to be the best option for this matchup, while a Gent win, 2-1, looks the way to go in the exact score market.
Prediction
- The meeting at the touchline between former Charleroi boss De Mil and current Charleroi coach Cornelis adds a bit of spice to the matchup, which should see the clash of two contrasting styles of play - flexible pragmatism against high-intensity pressing - produce an open game of football.
- Prediction: Gent 2-1.
