Cercle Brugge vs Zulte Waregem Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this Belgian bash between Cercle Brugge and Zulte Waregem. On paper, there's a right old gap between these two - Zulte sitting pretty in 6th with 17 points, while Cercle are down in 13th scraping by with just 11. But football's not played on paper, is it?

Zulte Waregem come into this on fire, make no mistake. They've won their last four on the spin! They've put Gent to the sword 4-1, stuck two past Antwerp, and picked up decent wins against Charleroi and OH Leuven. That's proper momentum, that is. Cercle, on the other hand, haven't tasted victory in their last five matches. They've managed draws against Genk and Antwerp, but got turned over by Gent (4-2) and Charleroi (3-2) at home.

Here's where it gets interesting though - when these two meet, goals tend to flow. Out of their last eight head-to-heads, both teams have found the net in seven of them! We're talking 2-2, 3-2, 1-1, 3-1, 4-2 - proper end-to-end stuff. Cercle actually have a better record away from home against Zulte, winning three out of four on their travels.

The stats tell a story too. Cercle bang in 2 goals per game at home but also let in 2. Zulte score 1.67 on their travels but leak 2.33. Both teams like a goal, both teams are a bit leaky at the back. That's my kind of match!

Cercle's recent home form reads 2-2 vs Genk, 2-4 vs Gent, 2-3 vs Charleroi, 1-1 vs St. Truiden. They're not exactly keeping it tight at the back, are they? Zulte's away games have seen them concede 3 against Westerlo and 3 against Genk, but they're also scoring freely.

The bookies have Cercle as slight favourites at 1.87, but given their form and Zulte's recent run, that looks a bit short to me. Zulte at 4.20 might tempt some, but their away record isn't exactly stellar.

For me, the value's in the goals market. Both teams to score at 1.67 looks tasty given the head-to-head record and both sides' defensive vulnerabilities. Over 2.5 goals at 1.73 could also be worth a shout - these two have averaged nearly 4 goals per game in their recent meetings.

Key Points:

• Zulte Waregem are flying with four straight wins

• Cercle Brugge haven't won in five matches

• Both teams have scored in 7 of 8 head-to-head meetings

• Cercle score 2 but concede 2 per home game

• Zulte score 1.67 but concede 2.33 away from home

Given the attacking intent from both sides and their defensive struggles, I'm expecting goals. Both teams to score looks the smart play here - the stats back it up, the head-to-head screams it, and both teams have shown they can find the net even when things aren't going their way.