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Gent will host Mechelen at the Ghelamco Arena on Saturday in another round of the 2023-24 Jupiler Pro League Conference League playoffs.
The home side have had mixed results in their league assignments of late but remain hopeful of securing the sole playoff spot come May. They were beaten 2-1 by OH Leuven in their last match and perhaps deserved more from the game but were guilty of wasteful finishing as they fell to their first defeat against OHL since September 2020.
Gent sit atop the table with 30 points picked up so far. They are one point above their weekend opponents in second place and will be looking to widen that gap on Saturday.
Mechelen, meanwhile, have performed well in the league of late and continue to push for their first appearance on the European stage in the 21st century.
They beat 10-man Westerlo 3-2 in their last league outing, finding themselves two goals down at the half-hour mark before upping the ante after the restart with Elias Cobbaut and former Leicester City man Islam Slimani getting on the scoresheet to hand De Kakkers all three points.
Gent vs Mechelen Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 126 meetings between Gent and Mechelen. The home side have won 51 of those games while the visitors have won 39 times. There have been 36 draws between the two teams.
- The hosts were beaten 2-1 in the last meeting between the two teams, ending a five-game winless run in this fixture.
- The visitors are without a clean sheet in their last 18 games in this fixture.
- The Buffalos are the highest-scoring side in the Conference League playoffs with a goal tally of 62.
- Only seven of Mechelen's 15 league wins this season have come on the road.
Gent vs Mechelen Prediction
Gent's latest result ended a three-game winning streak and they will be looking to bounce back here. They are undefeated in their last four home games and will fancy their chances of a positive result this weekend.
Mechelen have won two of their last three games and six of their last eight. They have performed well on the road of late but could see defeat against significantly stronger opposition this Saturday.
Prediction: Gent 2-1 Mechelen
Gent vs Mechelen Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Gent to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Six of the hosts' last seven matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: YES (Both sides have found the back of the net in five of the visitors' last six matches)
