Antwerp vs Anderlecht Predictions

This ain’t no gentle season finale—it’s a high-stakes clash in the championship playoff round, with Antwerp, sitting 5th with 28 points from 36 games as of today (April 30, 2025), coming off a projected 2-0 win over Genk on April 26. Anderlecht, 4th with 33 points, limp in after a projected 1-0 loss to Club Brugge on April 26, their playoff form stuttering. I’ve lived these nights—yelling at a late goal, tea sloshing as the Bosuil roars. Here’s the lowdown—form, players, head-to-head scars, and betting scraps to chew on, with web buzz hyping a low-scoring, feisty affair but leaning toward Anderlecht’s edge.

Team Form & Recent Performances

Royal Antwerp

• 2024/25 Record: 14W, 10D, 12L in Pro League (28 points, 5th in championship playoffs); 2023/24 Pro League 6th with 14W, 10D, 6L

• Latest Result: Won 2-0 vs. Genk (April 26), drew 1-1 at Cercle Brugge (April 19).

• Home Form: Secured 8 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses in 18 Pro League home games this season—27 goals scored, 18 conceded.

Antwerp are scrapping at Bosuilstadion like a Great Old crew finding their spark—that Genk win, with Vincent Janssen’s strike, had me nodding as they held firm with 50% possession, per mightytips.com. They’re projected at two wins in six (2W, 2D, 2L), averaging 1.5 goals scored, 1.2 conceded. Their home form is solid (1.5 goals scored, 1 conceded per game), with three clean sheets in their last five home games. Jonas De Roeck’s side, led by Janssen’s 12 goals, is pushing for a Conference League spot, but injuries to Jelle Bataille (ankle), Orseer Achihi, Toby Alderweireld, Bjorn Engels, Anthony Valencia, and Gerard Vandeplas could thin their squad, per mightytips.com. Their 1-0 win snapped a nine-game winless streak, but a 4-2 loss to Union SG in March exposed defensive gaps, per sportsgambler.com.

Anderlecht

• 2024/25 Record: 16W, 9D, 11L in Pro League (33 points, 4th in championship playoffs); 2023/24 Pro League 3rd with 22W, 11D, 5L

• Latest Result: Lost 1-0 vs. Club Brugge (April 26), drew 1-1 vs. Gent (April 19).

• Away Form: Secured 7 wins, 4 draws, 7 losses in 18 Pro League away games this season—24 goals scored, 22 conceded.

Anderlecht are wobbling like a Paars-wit side caught in a storm—three playoff losses, their Brugge defeat a narrow miss that had me grimacing as Kasper Dolberg squandered a chance, per footballpredictions.com. They’re projected at one win in six (1W, 2D, 3L), averaging 1.3 goals scored, 1.2 conceded. Their away form is patchy (1.33 goals scored, 1.22 conceded per game), with 6/10 games BTTS. Besnik Hasi’s side, led by Dolberg’s 8 goals, is chasing a Champions League spot but faltering, with Jan Karlo Simic suspended, Adryelson, Tristan Degreef, Killian Sardella, Mario Stroeykens, and Jan Vertonghen out, per mightytips.com. Their 1-0 win over Gent showed grit, but three losses in four away games scream fragility, per freesupertips.com.

Head-to-Head Stats & Historical Context

• Overall Record: Anderlecht lead with 77 wins to Antwerp’s 45, 44 draws—166 clashes since 1945, per sportskeeda.com.

   

• Recent Meeting: February 6, 2025—Anderlecht won 2-1 at home (Belgian Cup semi-final second leg, 2-1 aggregate), with César Huerta assisting, per.

• Key Trend: Anderlecht won 3/5 recent H2Hs; 3/5 saw under 2.5 goals, averaging 2 goals per game; Antwerp won 1/5 home H2Hs, per mightytips.com.

   

This ain’t a polite Belgian handshake—it’s a derby dripping with history. Anderlecht’s 2-1 Cup win in February, sealed by Dendoncker’s goal off Huerta’s pass, was a tense scrap that had me pacing, per. Their 1-0 first-leg win and 2-2 league draw in December 2024 show their edge, but Antwerp’s 3-1 home win in May 2024 proves they can bite, per sportskeeda.com. Under 2.5 goals hit in 3/5 recent H2Hs, with Antwerp failing to score in 2/5, per freesupertips.com. Anderlecht’s 1.4 xG per H2H edges Antwerp’s 1.0, but Antwerp’s home grit (1/5 H2H losses) adds spice, per mightytips.com.

Key Players to Watch

Royal Antwerp

• Vincent Janssen (FWD): 12 goals, 4 assists in 2024/25. A Dutch battering ram—scored vs. Genk, +210 to score anytime, per sportsgambler.com. I’d be roaring if he nets one.

• Tjaronn Chery (MID): 7 goals, 6 assists in 2024/25. A Surinamese spark—match-winner vs. Brugge, key with Bataille out, per nlbpredictions.com.

   

• Jean Butez (GK): 9 clean sheets in 2024/25. A Belgian wall—69% save rate, vital vs. Anderlecht’s attack, per nlbpredictions.com.

   

Anderlecht

• Kasper Dolberg (FWD): 8 goals, 3 assists in 2024/25. A Danish sniper—scored vs. Genk, +230 to score, per mightytips.com.

   

• Michel Ange Balikwisha (FWD): 2 goals in 2025. A Belgian outlet—194 accurate passes, key with Simic suspended, per tips.gg.

   

• Koen Casteels (GK): 7 clean sheets in 2024/25. A Belgian shield—68% save rate, must thwart Janssen, per mightytips.com.

   

Tactical Insights & Match Dynamics

Antwerp’s 4-3-3 is a high-energy scrapper—Jansen leads, Chery and Michel Ange Balikwisha (2 goals) create, averaging 50% possession and 10 shots per game, per nlbpredictions.com. Bataille, Achihi, Alderweireld, Engels, Valencia, and Vandeplas are out, with Senne Lammens, Ayrton Costa, and Denis Odoi stepping up, per mightytips.com. They’ll press high, exploiting Anderlecht’s 1.22 goals conceded away, with a 1.5 home goals average, per sportsgambler.com. Their 13 yellow cards in five games signal a feisty approach, per tips.gg. Anderlecht’s 4-2-3-1 is a possession beast—Dolberg attacks, Yari Verschaeren (2 assists) and César Huerta create, averaging 54% possession and 11 shots per game, per mightytips.com. Simic’s suspended, Adryelson, Degreef, Sardella, Stroeykens, and Vertonghen are out, with Dendoncker and Ludwig Augustinsson filling in, per footballpredictions.com. They’ll control the tempo, targeting Antwerp’s 1.2 goals conceded, but 3/5 away losses and 12 yellows in five games suggest discipline issues, per tips.gg. Bosuilstadion’s 25,000 fans will be a red-hot storm—I can smell the Antwerp heat already. Antwerp’s 8/18 home wins clash with Anderlecht’s 7/18 away wins, but Anderlecht’s 3/5 H2H wins and playoff stakes give them a slight edge, per mightytips.com. Web buzz predicts under 2.5 goals at 2.0 odds, citing 3/5 H2Hs and Antwerp’s defensive grit, per ratingbet.com, while X posts like @QTNSorare highlight reliable starters for both sides, per.

Prediction: Antwerp vs Anderlecht