What is at stake in this year’s Belgian Pro League play-offs? | OneFootball

The Belgian Pro League enters its play-off phase for what could be the final time. After this season, the league will revert to an 18-team competition without the postseason drama. While some may enjoy this return to a more traditional form of competition, with the best team over the course of the 32 games winning the title, others will miss the drama that comes when the sides get split into their respective groupings and the points get halved. This year, it looks like there will be plenty of drama. We go through all the different ramifications for the three different play-off groups.

The Title Race

While just four points separate Sint Truiden in third from Union St Gilloise in first, nearly everyone expects the battle for the title to be a two-horse race. The Canaries have done exceptionally well to qualify for the Champions play-offs, but now that they are here, their lack of quality in comparison to the other two top sides will likely show.

As a result, it looks set to be another battle between Union and Club Brugge. The two teams are separated by just a single point, meaning every single week there will be pressure on them to beat the other teams that make up the play-off group. A slip up for either will likely be taken advantage of by the other, making for plenty of drama. They won’t have to wait long to see each other either, with the 19th of April the first time they go head to head. This first meeting takes place in Brussels, with the return leg being on third to last game. These games should decide the title, but other teams will hope to stick their oar in.

The Race for Europe

Those other sides will likely be competing for the final European tickets. Union and Anderlecht can make things interesting with the Cup final, as the final spot of the winner could see the team finishing in fourth take an automatic European ticket, with the team in fifth then playing a team from the Conference League Group for the final available ticket.

Sint Truiden currently have a six-point lead over Gent in fourth. If they can just maintain that, they will be in one of Europe’s premier continental competitions for the first time in their history. Anderlecht and KV Mechelen, both winners of European competitions in the distant past, will be hoping to catch them. Sint Truiden have a touch opening clash away to Union, but getting this out of the way early may actually be beneficial. Anderlecht face Club Brugge, while Gent and KV Mechelen battle it out in Gent. All sides will likely hope that the winner of the cup pushes the tickets down to fifth, giving them more margin for error.

Battle for the European Play-Off

Last season, Charleroi won the second play-off group and then beat Antwerp to secure a European ticket. They failed to qualify for the Conference League, but they proved that there is a legitimate route into European football from this play-off. Genk will be the favourites, as they currently sit top. However, the gap between Genk in first and OH Leuven in sixth is just four points.

Westerlo and Standard Liege are their closest challengers, with just a point separating the two sides from Genk. Standard will fancy closing the gap early, with them facing OH Leuven first up. Genk will take on Antwerp, who could draw level on points with the leaders if they win that game. Westerlo against Charleroi is the final fixture in the opening weekend for the second play-off group.

The Relegation Battle

The Relegation play-off group is the only one of the three that doesn’t see points being halved. This year there is the chance that no side is relegated from the Belgian Pro League. Dender, who currently sit bottom and are already 12 points behind RAAL La Louviere in third, are almost certain to finish in that position. As a result, they will then face the winner of the play-offs in the Challenger Pro League over two legs. The winner of that will then take the final place in the Belgian Pro League next season.

As a result, Cercle Brugge, Zulte Waregem and RAAL are likely just playing to avoid being embarrassed. They all just have to avoid defeat to Dender and they will be fine. Cercle face Zulte first up, with Dender travelling to RAAL hoping for a miracle.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson