Genk vs Gent Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Genk’s failure to stamp their authority on matches is really beginning to cost them, while their seeming inability to win isn’t helping much either. Having been taken apart by St. Liege last time out, conceding five in the process, Saturday’s hosts find themselves bottom of the pile in Belgium’s Championship Group. They remain just two points off the fourth and final Europa League spot, though their form needs to improve if they’re to secure continental football ahead of both Charleroi and Thursday’s opponents.

Like the hosts, Gent have struggled to get going since the league split. They too tasted defeat last time out and it is now five matches since they last came out on top. For all they do tend to avoid being well beaten, a lack of penetration in the final third seems to be the real problem.

Having played well and kept a clean sheet in the recent reversal of this fixture, the hosts will come here feeling upbeat, though it’s tough to see how they merit such red-hot favouritism. In fact, it’s hard to see how Genk warrant anything other than marginal favouritism, even on home soil. As the league table suggests, there’s not a lot between this pair, so the fact that the home side are priced at even-money is somewhat confusing.

It would be easy to overreact to Genk’s shocking result against St. Liege and say that it has been coming, because not many would’ve foreseen them getting smashed to that degree. Prior to that fixture, Phillipe Clement’s side hadn’t been doing too badly, but they also weren’t doing too well. They’re unlikely to be completely dominated by many teams, but they’re also a side that can quite easily be edged out. Recent results, before their 5-0 loss against Liege, of 1-1, 2-1, 0-0, 2-2, 1-0, 1-0, 0-0, 2-1 and 0-0 would support this notion.

Similarly, Gent are also the sort of side who don’t do too much either way; they’re either narrowly beaten or narrowly defeated. Just two of the visitors’ last 11 matches have seen a winning margin greater than one. Yves Vanderhaeghe’s men did lose last time out, but they could’ve won just as easily. In fact, in a game where they dominated both in terms of possession and chances created, and conceded just two shots, Thursday’s visitors really ought to have taken all three points.

In addition, given that they both seem to adopt a style that is something in between, it really is no coincidence that the pair have drawn in three of their last four meetings. Based on all available evidence, it’s felt that the pair should be quite evenly matched in the market, so it’s easy to side with the visitors given the disparity in prices. Frankly, backing Gent on the ‘Draw No Bet’ market makes far more appeal than backing the hosts to win at skinny odds.

Given the fact that both have been struggling somewhat in the final third, coupled with the fact that each of the other two meetings between the pair this season have been somewhat lacking in clear-cut chances, it’s easy to conclude that ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ is worth a punt at the prices too. During the regular season, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ landed in 67% of Genk’s home matches, as well as in 53% of Gent’s away matches.