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THE FACTS
When is Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise on and what time does it start? Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise will take place on Sunday 28th May, 2023 – 12:30 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise? Visit each team’s official website for the latest ticket information
What channel is Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise on in the UK? Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise in the UK? Antwerp vs Union Saint-Gilloise cannot be streamed live in the UK
THE LOWDOWN
Antwerp
Royal Antwerp began the 2022/23 Jupiler Pro League season with nine successive victories and they topped the table for the first couple of months, after the summer appointment of Mark van Bommel and some interesting and ambitious recruitment. They drifted away in the middle part of the campaign but have been resurgent in recent months and actually head into the penultimate round of fixtures as title favourites.
They come into this one on the back of a surprise 2-0 defeat away to Club Brugge, though. A second-half brace from Casper Nielsen has halted Antwerp and allowed Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to draw level on points with them ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures.
In what is a typically high-scoring league, Antwerp have been one of the steadier sides. They have scored 68 goals in their 38 matches so far this season with five of the other seven sides in the end of season playoffs scoring more than that. However, in the regular season, they conceded just 26 goals which was, and it does remain, the best defensive record in the division by some margin.
Union Saint-Gilloise
Thanks to an affiliation with Brighton and Hove Albion, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise have benefitted from impressive recruitment as they punch above their weight in back-to-back Jupiler Pro League seasons. They finished at the top-of-the-table last year in the regular season before missing out in the Championship round to Club Brugge but then lost key players and their manager, Felice Mazzu, in the summer.
Now, under the management of Karel Geraerts, they are challenging for the title once again after another impressive campaign in which they also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Their 1-1 draw away to Genk last weekend allowed them to move level on points with Antwerp and set up this showdown clash.
Union SG’s impressive attacking duo of Simon Adingra and Victor Boniface are what has driven them into a position to be in the title race this late in the campaign. Boniface scored the equalising goal in that aforementioned encounter with Genk, which extended their impressive run of domestic form to just one loss in their last 11 matches.
THE PREDICTION
With two weeks of the season to go and these two level at the top-of-the-table, it isn't an overstatement to describe this as a title decider. However, a draw would leave the door open for Genk to move within a point of both sides heading into the final day of the campaign. These two sides have met five times this season already with two in the regular league season, once in the playoffs and twice in the Belgian Cup semi-finals. Antwerp have won both of their home games, as well as the playoff match at Union SG, whilst Union SG won their other two home games. Antwerp are aiming for an unlikely and rare domestic double but, quite simply, these are two sides really difficult to separate and, regardless of whether it is a high or low scoring encounter, that is expected to be the case at the weekend.
TIP: DRAW