Who will win the first title in Belgium?

One week before the start of the new season in Belgium, the first national title will be decided at the Stade Joseph Marien. In the Super Cup, reigning champions Union St. Gilloise welcome FC Bruges, and the bookmakers’ predictions see the two teams almost neck and neck in the odds. The visitors secured the cup win last season, and both teams are sure to have a say in the title race again this year.

The Blue and Yellows fought their way to the championship title with an outstanding championship round, in which the six best teams from the double round participate. None of the ten games were lost. Nine times, the Unionistes emerged victorious. The hosts are eager to continue their winning streak. In the match between Union St. Gilloise and Bruges, a bet on the home team is rewarded with odds of 2.75 at the top.

Union St. Gilloise – Statistics & current form

Royal Union St. Gilloise is the reigning Belgian champion. Last season, they won the national title for the twelfth time. They also have three cup wins to their name. Last season, the Blue and Yellows played in the Europa League and survived the group stage. This Sunday, they will be looking to repeat last year’s success in the Super Cup.

The Unionistes struggled with a difficult start to last season. After ten matchdays, the hosts were in a disappointing tenth place in the table. However, head coach Sebastien Pocognoli’s team improved steadily over the course of the year and finished the double round in third place.

Union St. Gilloise has been unbeaten for months

In the championship round, in which the best six teams qualify to compete for the title and international spots, the home side was unstoppable. Union St. Gilloise went undefeated and left the entire competition behind.

The Blue and Yellows are now unbeaten in ten competitive games. Their last defeat came in March this year, when they lost 2-1 in Genk. This was followed by nine wins and a draw against their upcoming opponents from Bruges. For the Super Cup final between Union St. Gilloise and Bruges, odds of 2.71 are being paid on the Merkur Bets mobile app for bets on the home team.

The Brussels team only just made it through the Europa League group stage, qualifying for the round of 32 in 21st place. Here they faced Ajax Amsterdam. A 0-2 home defeat was made up in the return leg in Holland, but the Dutch scored the golden goal in extra time.

Defense was the key to the championship

In last season’s championship round, the hosts impressed with a strong defense. They conceded only three goals in ten games. The offense was also impressive, scoring 22 times, more than any other team. The top scorer for Pocognoli’s team was Canadian Promise David, who found the back of the net 19 times. He has been retained and will continue to hunt for goals for his team in the new season.

There have been few changes to the squad, so we expect to see a familiar starting eleven. Amoura and Sadiki have left the club and been replaced by Zorgane and Florucz.

Predicted line-up:
Chambaere – Mac Allister, Leysen, Sykes – Niang, Vanhoutte, Van De Perre, Castro-Montes, Ait El Hadj – Boufal, Fuseini

Bruges – Statistics & current form

FC Bruges is also one of Belgium’s most prolific title winners. With 19 championships to their name and twelve cup victories, the Blue and Blacks are not only the current title holders, but also the country’s record cup winners. The Super Cup is still missing from their trophy collection and is set to be added on Sunday.

Last season, the visitors finished in an excellent second place in the table after the double round. However, seven wins from their Championship Group matches were only enough for the runners-up spot in the end, three points behind St. Gilloise. This means that the Boeren will take part in the Champions League qualifying round and will be aiming to at least reach the league phase.

Bruges is the reigning cup winner

Bruges was more successful in the Coupe de Belgique than in the championship. RSC Anderlecht was defeated 2-1, securing the twelfth cup win. This means that head coach Nicky Hayer’s team is now unbeaten in six competitive games. Their last defeat came at the hands of their upcoming opponents from Brussels. The odds of 2.82 for Union St. Gilloise and Bruges mean that the visitors are slight underdogs with the bookmakers.

With six goals conceded, the Blue and Blacks had the second-best defense in the championship round. The offense was equally strong, scoring 21 times. Christos Tzolis, who should be well known to readers from his time at Fortuna Düsseldorf, was his team’s top scorer with 16 goals and finished fifth in the scoring charts at the end of last season.

Bruges with strong Champions League performances

Internationally, Bruges advanced to the round of 16 in the Champions League after De Boeren struggled in the league phase and only just made it into the knockout stages. However, after two clear defeats against Aston Villa, they were finally eliminated, having previously knocked Atalanta Bergamo out of the competition. In the league, the Blue and Blacks have not lost any of their last eight away games. They will be looking to extend this run on Sunday.

Predicted line-up:
Jackers – Seys, Mechele, Ordonez, Sabbe – Reis, Vanaken, Sandra, Vetlesen – Tzolis, Vermant

Union St. Gilloise – Bruges Head-to-head record / H2H record

The two teams have faced each other in a total of 20 games. The hosts have five wins to their name, while the Blue and Blacks have been successful seven times. For the upcoming match, the bookmakers’ predictions see the outcome as completely open and the opponents on equal footing. The two teams already faced each other in last year’s Super Cup, with the Blue and Yellows coming out on top 2-1.

None of the last six encounters went to the visitors. Royal Union Saint-Gilloise was successful twice and four times the match ended in a draw. Last season, the two matches at the Stade Joseph Marien ended in draws. Three of the last four encounters between the two clubs ended with fewer than 2.5 goals.

Union St. Gilloise – Bruges Tip

So it’s finally time to get started. The top leagues are back in action and in Belgium the Super Cup is the first game of the season. The hosts are the reigning champions and can look back on a successful championship round in which they did not lose a single game. In the preseason, they suffered only one defeat, a 0-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven.

The visitors, on the other hand, remained unbeaten in their test matches. In addition to victories over Kortrijk and Lokomotiv Zagreb, they drew against Glasgow Rangers and Rakow Czestochowa. As the current cup winners, the Blue and Blacks are now looking to win the Super Cup for the first time. The bookmakers’ odds promise an exciting match.

At such an early stage of the season, it is difficult to make an informed prediction about the outcome. However, as in the last encounters between the teams, we do not expect a goal fest, so in the Union St. Gilloise vs. Bruges match, our best bet is on less than 2.5 goals, at odds of 1.75 with the popular bookmaker AdmiralBet.

In the three-way segment, we are leaning slightly towards the hosts, who also have home advantage in this match. Therefore, in the Union St. Gilloise vs. Bruges game, we think the blue and yellows are worth a small bet at odds of 2.75.

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