Against All Odds: Club Brugge too short for Belgian Play-off clash

18Apr 2013

Belgium

Club Brugge host Zulte-Waregem in a Belgian Jupiler League Championship Play-off match this evening and Paul Robinson thinks the home side have to be opposed at odds-on.

Club Brugge finished the regular season in fourth place and while that isn't too bad, they will be disappointed with their proximity to the top two. Nevertheless, because of the way that the Belgian league works, Club FCB are still in with a shout of finishing second as if they win their game in hand tonight, they will move to within one point of Standard Liege who currently occupy that position.

Juan Carlos Garrido's side need to step up on their recent form if they want to achieve that though. Since this stage of the league began, they have won just one of three matches, and that came away from home. Their results at Jan Breydel Stadium aren't exactly impressive - four victories from 12 - and they actually lost this fixture 0-1 during the regular season.

Zulte-Waregem have had a fantastic campaign as they finished as runners up to Anderlecht before the Play-off stage, with an eight point gap back to Genk in third. Things haven't been as rosy recently though as they've picked up just two points from a possible nine, although the only defeat was a seven goal thriller to Standard Liege.

Francky Dury won't be able to call on the services of M'Baye Leye for tonight's game and that will be a blow given that he's the clubs second highest scorer. A positive to focus on though is that his side have been fantastic on the road this term - one defeat in 16 games, with 11 wins.

Zulte-Waregem will be weakened by Leye's suspension, but that doesn't justify Club Brugge's odds-on quote though. That's why, with the home team trading around the 1.83 mark, I have to make them my lay of the day.

Recommended Bet

Lay Club Brugge v Zulte-Waregem @ 1.83

This match is available on Betfair Live Video at 19:30