Anderlecht vs Zulte-Waragem Predictions

It’s been anything but a vintage season for Anderlecht, who currently sit in a lowly seventh place. Last season was a poor one by their standards, but they’d happily trade places with where they were 12 months ago, such has been the level of their performances this time around. Fred Rutten’s men will be hoping to bounce back after suffering defeat away against St. Liege last time out.

Anderlecht could have few complaints about suffering their third defeat in six matches last time out, as not for the first time, they simply weren’t good enough. Against a useful St. Liege side, Rutten’s men needed to offer plenty more going forward, while they could’ve done with more defensive solidity too. Facing Waregem at home is an easier task, but they’ve still need to sharpen up to get the desired result.

Fortunately for Sunday’s hosts, they’ve performed well in front of their own fans of late, so last weekend’s poor result may not have rocked their confidence too much. At home this season, results haven’t always gone their way, but Anderlecht have put together a pleasing set of figures. They’re averaging 1.92 goals for and are conceding just 0.83 at the other end. In addition, they’re averaging a pleasing 1.93 expected goals for, which tells us that they’re not finding it tough to create goal-scoring opportunities, while their average of 0.89 expected-goals against suggests that they’re good at preventing teams from getting serious in the final third.

Anderlecht’s underlying numbers on home soil bode well when considered in conjunction with Waregem’s on the road. Sunday’s visitors haven’t exactly enjoyed their time away from home this season, as they’ve conceded an awful lot of goals and have found it tough to compensate offensively.

Waregem come into this match having conceded an average of 2.5 goals on the road, while they’ve also shipping an average of 1.78 expected goals. The latter of those two numbers tells us they’ve been unlucky to concede quite so many, but it also shows that they’re not exactly keeping teams at bay, nor does the fact that they’ve conceded three or more in seven of their twelve travelling matches.

In all honesty, against a side known for capitulating on the road, Anderlecht really ought to be flexing their attacking muscles.

With Anderlecht simply offering considerably more than their opponents (at both ends of the pitch), the bet that stands out is ‘Anderlecht to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’. If we look at the fact that the hosts averaging 1.93 expected goals for at home alongside the fact that Waregem, who struggle to win on the road, are averaging 1.78 expected-goals against away from home, then it’s easy to feel that backing a home win combined with ‘Over 1.5 Goals’ offers a slither of value at the current prices.