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Steffen Schmidt - August 11, 2023
Cercle Brugge vs Genk
Belgian First Division A
Date: 13 August 2023, Sunday
Kick-off at 15:00 UK / 16:00 CET
Venue: Jan Breydelstadion (Brugge).
Cercle Brugge got their first win on the board last weekend when they dispatched Charleroi 2-0 via a couple of first-half goals.
They will be hoping to back it up on Sunday afternoon in the Matchday No 3 clash against runners-up Genk at Jan Breydelstadion.
This is a great time to be facing Genk who seem shaken after the early UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of Servette.
They have continued the European adventure on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
This match thus comes just three days after Genk’s tough trip to Piraeus where they faced Greek heavyweights Olympiakos in the first leg of the European tie.
The aforementioned Champions League failure has certainly affected Genk’s second-round display in the First Division A as they suffered a shocking 0-1 home defeat at the hands of AS Eupen.
Genk fired as many as 28 shots but only three of these hit the target on the occasion. This is a very tough away game for Wouter Vrancken’s men and we are not quite confident regarding their chances on Sunday in Brugge.
As for Cercle Brugge, they’ve shown changeable form in the preseason, beating Monaco 3-0 before suffering a tough 7-2 defeat to Lille.
The match comes right amid a tricky Europa League qualifying tie against Olympiakos as we expect Vrancken to rest some of his key players ahead of the rematch with the Greeks.
Knowing how good Cercle Brugge looked last Saturday against Charleroi, we fancy the home win or draw double chance pick at the 1.61 odds. Alternatively, we also like Ahoueke Denkey to score anytime for the hosts at the 2.62 odds since he offered a fantastic display eight days ago against Charleroi.
