Club Brugge vs KV Mechelen

Jan Breydel Stadium is the venue as reigning Belgian Pro League champions Club Brugge kick off their title defense against KV Mechelen.

Last season started far from ideal for Club Brugge, yet they pulled off a late comeback under new manager Nicky Hayen to beat Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to their 19th Belgian Pro League title. Hayen inspired the ‘Blauw-Zwart’ to an outstanding ten-game unbeaten league run toward the end of the 2023/24 campaign (W7, D3) en route to an unlikely title. However, Brugge suffered a dismal 2-1 Super Cup defeat to Royale Union SG last week and will be keen to bounce back from that upset at the start of their Pro League title defense. Preparations for the new season didn’t go to plan, with Brugge drawing three of their five warm-up fixtures (W2), but Mechelen’s visit to Jan Breydel will put a smile on the home fans’ faces.

Despite holding Brugge to a 1-1 draw in this corresponding fixture last term, Mechelen’s long-standing struggle in this match-up has seen them go winless in 11 consecutive away league H2Hs since a narrow 1-0 win in January 2012 (D4, L7). The visitors had to settle for an eighth-place finish in 2023/24, largely thanks to their traveling woes, delivering a mixed bag of performance on the road (W6, D4, L7) during the regular season. Mechelen’s see-saw away form continued in the playoffs (W2, D1, L2), with Besnik Hasi’s side conceding 2+ goals in three of those five matches. On a more positive note for ‘De Kakkers,’ they have kept a clean sheet on two of their last three Pro League travels (W1, D1, L1).