Antwerp take on the visitors Royale Union SG in the round 35 match of Belgian Jupiler Pro League. The match will be played on Thursday, April 25th at Bosuilstadion (Antwerp).
Antwerp didn't carry such a nickname for nothing. They had a glorious history but struggled for a long time to even return to the Jupiler League. Yes, later the club regained its position, moreover, finally won a trophy, the cup, and performed on the European stage. But they were still clearly playing second fiddle. Everything changed in 2022/2023 with the Dutch invasion: Overmars, sheltered in Belgium after a scandalous dismissal from Ajax, became the sporting director and brought in Van Bommel as the coach. Mark hadn't been particularly impressive in such a role before - and here he led his charges to the golden double. The championship became the first since the mid-20th century! It can't be said that the team has completely collapsed now. They won the Super Cup and made their debut in the Champions League. However, they were thrashed by everyone there (and how horribly they messed up at home against Shakhtar, meekly and somewhat comically losing!). There will be another chance to defend their cup holder status - the final is in early May, against Union. But in the league, they couldn't vie for more than 3rd place. And recently, they've mostly been losing. Only against Cercle Brugge did they manage a victorious 1-0.
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Royal Union risks repeating the disappointment of two seasons ago. Les Unionistes reminded everyone of themselves (and there was something to remember - they are an 11-time national champion, who just faded into the shadows of the lower leagues in the mid-20th century) in 2021/2022. Revived by investments and enthusiasm under Tony Bloom's project, they returned to the Jupiler League after a long hiatus and won it right away... Well, they led after the regular season, according to the rules, they split the points and left only the championship bullet. And then the experienced Brugge managed to retain the trophy. Since the summer, Blessin has taken over as coach. With him, the Belgians finished 3rd in the Europa League group and progressed to the Conference League by beating Eintracht after trading victories. They also reached the cup final and, most importantly, led the championship... But April brought a terrible slump with a string of defeats, which, of course, Anderlecht took advantage of. They played against Brugge both at home and in the majority, yet still lost 1-2.
All 3 recent encounters ended in goal-filled draws. The experts favor the guests more. But the hosts at least won in the last round, and the match will be held on their field. Let's bet that Antwerp won't lose.
Prediction for the match: Antwerp not to lose (X2).
