Oostende will play host to Gent on Sunday, August 8, in the third round of the Jupiler League. These two sides last met in May, when Gent secured a convincing 4-0 victory on the road, adding their fourth consecutive head-to-head victory and their second at Diaz Arena -but will the Buffalos manage to emulate that success tonight?
Oostende vs Gent
When: Sunday, August 8 – 21:00 CEST
Where: Diaz Arena in Oostende, Belgium
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 18°C
Referee: Alexandre Boucaut (BEL)
We’re in the third round of the 2021-22 season of the Belgian top tier. So far, neither Oostende nor Gent have been very impressive. This goes especially for Gent, who finished last term in seventh and then went on to win the Conference League Group.
By doing that, Gent punched a ticket to the UEFA Europa Conference League Qualification, which is what’s been occupying this team for the past couple of weeks. Actually, that can explain why their form in the domestic league hasn’t been that great.
When it comes to Oostende, this team finished in the #5 place in the regular season in 2020-21 but then failed to do much in the Conference League Group. Their ambitions are higher this year, but similarly to Gent, Oostende haven’t impressed anyone so far. They got hammered by Charleroi in Round 1 by 3-0. However, they bounced back with a 4-3 win against the mighty Genk in the second round.
Confidence is on Oostende’s Side
After a disaster in the first game of the season, Oostende bounced back with a big win last week. They won in an away game against Genk, a team that still has a chance to qualify for the Champions League. The final score was 4-3, with Oostende relying on counterattacks.
The BCO had the ball in their possession for only about one-third of the game and produced significantly fewer goal attempts than the opponents. However, they took their chances, getting all three points from their trip to Genk.
This time, Oostende are the hosts, although this shouldn’t be much of an advantage. At least, that’s what one can conclude from their poor home performances in the previous season, especially in a final couple of matches.
Nevertheless, with their fans cheering them on, Oostende players will undoubtedly be in a good mood. Fan support is what can really help Oostende’s youngsters like Kenny Rocha Santos, a 20-year-old who’s turning into this team’s key playmaker. Against Genk, the midfielder made two assists.
Gent Players Dreaming of the Europa Conference League
On Tuesday evening, Gent took a trip to Latvia, where they played against RFS in the Europa Conference League Qualifiers. The first match finished 2-2, meaning that a big battle expects Gent in the second leg. That said, their minds are probably already set on that matchup.
Another disadvantage for them is that their form is not very good. In the two games played since the start of the Jupiler League, Gent won only one point. In Round 1, St. Truiden beat them 2-1; in the second round, Gent drew with Beerschot.
Neither of those teams is considered elite, and Gent were priced as the favourites in both of those matches. The reason for this might also lie in the fact that Gent owners let some of their star players leave the club during summer – Roman Yaremchuk, Niklas Dorsch, Tim Kleindienst, and Brecht Dejaegere.
Oostende vs Gent Betting Picks
Gent is the team that has better players than Oostende; there’s no doubt about that. However, they’ve been playing poorly over the last couple of weeks, not to mention that they have a big game coming up next week.
For those reasons, we can see Oostende getting something from this match. Perhaps they won’t win, but it looks certain that they’re not going to lose tonight.
Prediction: Oostende +0.50 Asian Handicap – 1.89 Pinnacle
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