Mechelen take on the visitors Antwerp in the round 1 match of Belgian Jupiler Pro League. The match will be played on Sunday, July 24th at AFAS-stadion Achter de Kazerne (Mechelen).
Mechelen secured the status of the mid-table side of the Belgian top division. The hosting side won the championship four times. But in 2019, they were able to return to the country's top division, also winning the cup at the same time. True, at the same time the team was charged with contractual fights. With the scandal, it still turned out to play in the “elite”. Over the years, it has already managed to consolidate the status of the mid-table team of the Jupiler League - it was not possible to aim at something significant, but they successfully finished in the middle of the table. The last championship, for example, brought 8th place. Now the team starts with a new mentor, Beys, who led Groningham for the previous 4 years. We also note the departure of Kuipers, who had 13 goals and 10 assists, to Gent.
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Antwerp tries to hold their ground. "The Great Old" in 2017 returned to the top division of the country. And after that, they were fairly stable among the leaders. In 2020, they even managed to win the Belgian Cup. Moreover, in both 2020 and 2021, it was possible to play in the group stage of the Europa League (and even reach the playoffs of this European Cup once). Now the team is starting to fight, but already in the Conference League. Only on Thursday the Belgians started with a home game against Drita, and next week there will be a second leg in Kosovo. But, of course, they want to start in the Jupiler League with dignity. Especially since now there is a new one here, Dutch mentor and management. Overmars, who left Ajax with a scandal and became sports director here, persuaded his friend van Bommel to become a coach in May. Obviously, both Alderweireld and Vince Janssen were signed under them. And Naingollan has been captain here since 2021.
Mechelen is now on a nice winning streak in head-to-heads as they have won all 3 of their last matches against Antwerp. Mechelen are unlikely to be able to extend its successful streak with Antwerp. Van Bommel will try to start with success - we believe in the victory of the visitors, but with "0" handicap.
Prediction for the match: Antwerp to win with 0.0 handicap.
