After 29 matches, the Belgian Pro League rounds off the regular season this weekend. While the top six has already been decided, there is still plenty to play for on matchday 30. We look at both ends of the table to see who needs what this weekend.
The title race
Genk against Union St Gilloise is the big one at the top of the table this weekend. The league leaders hold a 10 point lead over the Brussels side, which is equivalent to five points when the points are halved for the play-offs. However, Union are in great form and would love to cut that to just four points by the time the real title race begins. The side from the Belgian capital have been victims of the points halving in the past, but this year they might be the side to take advantage of it and win a long awaited top flight title.
Should both sides cancel each other out, Club Brugge will hope to take advantage. They face a nine point gap to Genk but welcome a Charleroi side with just one win in five to the Jan Breydel. If Club can reduce the gap further, the strength of their squad will likely make them favourites to win title number 20.
The rest of the top six
Anderlecht, Antwerp and Gent will be fighting it out for the remaining European tickets. Anderlecht have a chance still with the cup final, while the other two will look to keep themselves in the hunt. Gent and Antwerp are level on 45 points with Anderlecht only three points ahead. The latter face a Cercle Brugge side in need of points, while Gent play relegation threatened Kortrijk and Antwerp travel to Standard Liege. There is a high possibility that the three sides are level on points going into the play-offs.
Avoiding the bottom four
Of the rest of the league, only Mechelen, Charleroi and Standard are guaranteed to be in the top flight next season. Everyone else is either in the bottom four already (Beerschot and Kortrijk) or fighting to avoid it. If Cercle beat Anderlecht, that will likely see them swap places with another side above them.
The crunch game appears to be Sint Truiden against OH Leuven. The Canaries could finally leave the bottom four with a win, while their opponents could then replace them there if they lose. Westerlo are also not safe on 34 points, but face a poor Beerschot side where they should get at least a point to avoid the bottom four. Dender are also still in trouble, but will hope that already safe Mechelen will take their foot off the gas. There should be plenty of twists and turns down at the bottom before the end of the day.
While Beerschot are certainly going down, Kortrijk still have a slim amount of hope left. If they can beat Gent and close the gap to third from bottom, there chances of finishing in that spot and facing the winner of the second tier play-offs will greatly improve. To remind those who are new to the league, the bottom four face each other home and away in the play-downs, with two going down automatically and the side that finishes second in the mini-group playing the play-off against the Challenger Pro League side.
Should sides finish level on points, it will be number of wins that determines who finishes where, rather than goal difference. This is why a win for Sint Truiden would put them ahead of OH Leuven, even though it is unlikely the Canaries will have a superior goal difference.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Ben Jackson
