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Anderlecht will host Royal Antwerp at the Lotto Park on Saturday in the opening round of the UEFA Conference League playoffs of the 2023-24 Jupiler Pro League campaign.
The home side performed commendably during the regular season and will be looking to carry that momentum onto the playoffs this weekend. They suffered a 1-0 defeat to Kortrijk in their game before the international break, conceding the sole goal of the game 10 minutes from normal time after squandering good chances to take the lead themselves.
Anderlecht sit second in the Championship round, starting with 32 points. They are six points above their weekend opponents in third place and will be looking to widen that gap even further with a win on Saturday.
Royal Antwerp endured a largely disappointing title-defending campaign but continue their push for continental action. They played out a 1-1 draw against league leaders Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in their last match. They had looked set to be headed toward defeat after their opponents opened the scoring late in the game before Gyrano Kerk came off the bench to level the scores in additional time.
Anderlecht vs Royal Antwerp Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 160 meetings between Anderlecht and Antwerp. The hosts have won 73 pf those games while the visitors have won 44 times.
- There have been 43 draws between the two teams including their most recent matchup which ended 1-1.
- The hosts are undefeated in their last seven games in this fixture.
- The Reds have the best defensive record in the Belgian top flight this season with a goal concession tally of 27.
- Anderlecht have picked up 36 points on home turf in the league this season, the joint-highest in the competition so far.
Anderlecht vs Royal Antwerp Prediction
Anderlecht's latest result ended a six-game winning streak and they will now be looking to move bounce back here. They have lost just one home league game all season and will fancy their chances of a positive result when they play this weekend.
Antwerp, meanwhile, are on a five-game unbeaten streak and have lost just one of their last 10 games across all competitions. They are undefeated in their last five games on the road and should have enough to pick up a point here.
Prediction: Anderlecht 1-1 Royal Antwerp
Anderlecht vs Royal Antwerp Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Four of the last five matches between the two teams have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Anderlecht to score first: YES (The hosts have opened the scoring in five of their last seven games in this fixture)
