Standard Liege vs Mechelen

Standard Liege and Mechelen will put their Belgium First Division A play-off chances on the line when they lock horns at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne this weekend.

Standard Liege pulled off a comfortable 2-0 win at Eupen in midweek, putting an end to a dismal four-game winless league streak (D2, L2) but are still way off the play-off pace. Coming into this matchday, the hosts sit six points adrift of eighth-placed Kortrijk, highlighting the importance of this fixture. However, ‘Les Rouches’ are the league’s worst home side this season, having won just two of their 11 top-flight matches at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne (D4, L5) but none of the last three (D1, L2). Sadly for the home supporters, Standard’s recent H2H home record against Mechelen is unlikely to inspire a possible comeback, with Luka Elsner’s men going winless in their last three top-flight H2Hs as hosts (D1, L2), conceding precisely two goals on each occasion.

In the meantime, a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Anderlecht in midweek means that Mechelen have alternated between wins and losses in their last five league outings (W2, L3), three of which featured a winning/losing margin of a single goal. Adding to the visitors’ list of worries, they have gone from three consecutive away league victories to three defeats in a row, conceding an average of 2.5 goals per game across their last four league travels. Much of Mechelen’s hopes of snapping that run will hinge on their ability to break the deadlock, as they’ve lost all five away league fixtures when conceding first this season. But with nine (64.29%) of the 14 top-flight goals scored on the road this term coming before half-time, there’s a silver lining here.