Zulte Waregem has had great pre-season, with only 1 defeat and 1 draw out of 8 matches played, today they have their 1st test against Jupiler League opponent Eupen.
ZULTE WAREGEM
Zulte Waregem has proven themselves in pre-season, especially in the last match against NEC (5:1), and looking solely on those matches, we can expect them to have a good season ahead. Last years season has brought them top 6 finish, which they managed with some attractive football. Whereas play-offs were not so promising, as they finished in the last position in the group.
There are also some good changes in their squad, which seem to be strengthened compared to last season. New signings are Obbi Oulare (Watford), striker Igor Vetokele (Charlton), striker Jens Naessens (Mechelen), midfielder Lukas Lerager (Viborg), defender Timothy Derjick (Den Haag) as well as left back Brian Hamalainen (Genk). On the other hand, the club has lost Thiam, Dialo and De Ridder.
EUPEN
Newly promoted team strives to get a good end result in Jupiler League. The promotion was somewhat a “gift” from White Star, who despite being champions of 2nd division did not advance into Jupiler League, because they did not get a permission to participate in this league. But then again Eupen has proven themselves in 2nd division, only missing 1st place by a point.
Eupen is a young team, with an average player age being 24 years. Another thing that defines Eupen is, their roster nationality, with 20 out of 26 players being foreigners. However, their players do not have much experience in 1st division football and will most likely need more time getting used to playing on a higher level, thus probably struggling at the start.
VERDICT
H2H matches are strongly 1 sided, with Eupen failing to win the last 6 matchups against Zulte Waregem. And with Zulte, who has shown us, even in the last season, they are exceptionally better when playing at home, we can see Eupen struggling today. Expect Zulte to not give their opponents much chances.
Prediction: Zulte Waregem to win
Odds: 2.06 5Dimes
