Club starts with “extra weapon” Nilsson in top match against Genk: “Bruges has the advantage”

A gap of 1 point or 7 points? The battle between leader KRC Genk and pursuer Club Brugge can redraw the rankings this afternoon. Analyst Wim De Coninck looks ahead to the match between numbers 1 and 2. “Genk in particular needs a good result.”

Club Brugge comes from the Champions League to the top with a strong boost, thanks to the victory against Sporting Lisbon.

“If you get 7 out of 9 against Aston Villa, Celtic and Sporting, then you can play with confidence against Genk,” De Coninck opens. “Club is in the flow and has a lot of confidence. It has now been unbeaten for 11 games in a row in all competitions.”

“A small downer for Brugge is that those 10 points in the Champions League may not be enough for the top 24, but those are concerns for the end of January. Now the focus can be again on the Jupiler Pro League.”

“Not unimportant, because Club Brugge was not very convincing in the previous competition matches. With the exception of the 7-0 against STVV, you could see that they were mainly with the Champions League in their heads against Mechelen, Beerschot and Dender.”

There is pressure on Bruges, because they still carry that poor start to the competition with 1 out of 9.

Wim De Coninck

Club Brugge will need its full focus to push leader Genk aside. In August, Blue and Black completely relinquished a double lead in Limburg: from 0-2 to 3-2.

“There is pressure on Bruges, because they still carry that poor start to the competition with 1 out of 9,” said De Coninck.

“Club is still 4 points behind Genk. If they lose, that will already be 7. With a win they will be within 1 point. So it is a real 6-point match.”

With 10 out of 12, KRC Genk is also still going strong, although those figures may give a distorted picture. “In recent weeks, Genk is no longer the Genk it was at the beginning of the season,” says Wim De Coninck.

“Coach Thorsten Fink believes that Genk can “lean back”, because Club still has to chase. But that is mainly to take the pressure off his team.”

“The last two away games against Union (4-0) and STVV (2-2) were below average. Genk could be happy that they left Sint-Truiden with a point. Also at home against Charleroi (3-0) and KV Kortrijk ( 3-2) it was not convincing.”

“Genk needs a good result at Club Brugge to regain confidence and good football.”

Genk needs a good result at Club Brugge to regain confidence and good football.

Wim De Coninck

Does Genk have an advantage without the European tax? “Genk may be a bit fresher, but Club’s match was already on Tuesday evening. So that won’t make a big difference.”

“Club has the added advantage that striker Gustaf Nilsson is back and will also start. His impact in his substitute against Sporting was already great. He made the difference, so Club has an extra weapon.”

“At Genk we have to keep an eye on top scorer Tolu. Defender Brandon Mechele has broken his nose and has to play with a mask. That is not easy in the header duels with Tolu.”

Conclusion: who is actually the favorite? “I think the advantage lies with Club Brugge,” De Coninck concludes.