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Mechelen will take on Antwerp in their opening encounter of the new season of the Belgian Jupiler League.
Mechelen finished 13th last season in the top flight and will be looking to improve their position this season.
The visitors barely survived relegation last term and will no doubt be aiming for a quick turnaround. They have played a couple of pre-season friendlies and will be looking to start on a positive note in the Belgian league as they take on Mechelen.
Mechelen vs Antwerp Head-To-Head
This will be the sixth meeting between the two sides. Mechelen have been utterly dominant in their previous four encounters, claiming three wins and one draw in that time. Antwerp are yet to taste victory against the hosts. Their best result was a 2-2 draw at home in the 2019 season.
The last time they played each other was in last season's away leg in Antwerp, where Mechelen thrashed them 4-1.
Mechelen Form Guide: W-D-D
Antwerp Form Guide: L-D-W
Mechelen vs Antwerp Team News
Mechelen
Mechelen will take on Antwerp without Malede, Lucas Bijker (ligament), Dylan Dassy (meniscal) and Sandy Walsh (collarbone).
Injured: Malede, Lucas Bijker, Dylan Dassy, Sandy Walsh, Kerim Mrebti.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: Jorge Hernandez.
Antwerp
Antwerp will have to play without the services of Matt Hundenburg and veteran Nicolas Lombaerts, who have been ruled out due to injuries.
Injured: Matt Hundenburg, Nicolas Lombaerts
Suspended: None
Mechelen vs Antwerp Predicted XI
Mechelen Predicted XI (4-4-2): Greg Couke (GK), Tino Peyre, Réda Halaimia, Stipe Radic, Thibault De Smet, Pierre Bourdin; Robert Koofman, Tom Pietermaat, Ryan Sanusi, Dante Rigo, Geoffrey Hayerssman
Antwerp Predicted XI (3-5-2): Anthony Moriss (GK), BazVanlegberg, Christian Burgess, Koki Machida; Bart Nieuwkoop, Jean Thierry Lazare, Casper Nielsen, Kacper Kozłowski, Guillaume François; Kaoru Mitoma, Tarik Tisodali
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Mechelen vs Antwerp Prediction
Mechelen severely underperformed in the Belgian Jupiler Pro league last campaign and will look to get off to a winning start this time around. Apart from Rits, they will have a full-strength squad to choose from for the season opener.
They are fortunate to open their schedule in a fixture that they have enjoyed historically.
The visitors also stand a chance to improve their record in direct clashes against Mechelen. However, they will have to stand up to Mechelen's offensive threats to have any chance of salvaging a point.
A victory for Mechelen is on the cards on Saturday.
Prediction: Mechelen 3-1 Antwerp
