Anderlecht vs Sint-Truiden

Anderlecht’s pursuit of their first Belgian Pro League title since 2016/16 commences at Lotto Park against Sint-Truiden this weekend.

Back-to-back defeats at the tail-end of the 2023/24 season condemned Anderlecht to a gut-wrenching third-place finish, leaving them four points adrift of reigning holders Club Brugge. Keen to go two better than last term, the record 34-time Belgian Pro League champions seek a fresh start, buoyed by an impressive off-season campaign. Brian Riemer’s side won five of their six pre-season friendlies (L1), notably bagging 2+ goals on each occasion. However, Riemer can’t call upon the services of standout winger Thorgan Hazard for this curtain-raising fixture due to injury. Hazard’s absence will unlikely derail Anderlecht’s bids to get the new league season off to a flying start, considering they’ve got the better of Sint-Truiden in their last five top-flight H2Hs, with four of those wins yielding multi-goal margins.

Meanwhile, visiting Sint-Truiden finished ninth in the Belgian Pro League last term and will hope for a better campaign in 2024/25 after hiring former Charlotte FC manager Christian Lattanzio this summer. However, the visitors experienced a torrid ending to their pre-season preparations, going winless in three consecutive friendlies (D1, L2) while conceding a whopping nine goals! Back-to-back losses by 3+ goals ‘to nil’ against Cologne and Ajax can barely inspire any confidence around Lattanzio’s camp, especially considering Sint-Truiden have conceded at least three goals on four of their last five league visits to Anderlecht (L5). As if that’s not worrying enough, the Canaries have lost seven of their ten away league matches in 2024 (W1, D2).