Dender v Union Saint Gilloise

Dender vs Royale Union Saint Gilloise Preview

Dender will be looking to open their account in the Belgian top flight for the first time in 15 years on Saturday afternoon when they play host to Royale Union SG after the hosts clinched automatic promotion at the end of last season's Challenger Pro League campaign, while Royale Union SG will be keen to pick up where they left off at the end of last season as they finished up with a 2-0 home win against Genk.

Since securing promotion from the Belgian second tier on the final day of last season's campaign with a 3-0 win away from home at Francs Borains, Dender have played a string of pre-season friendlies which have produced mixed results for the newcomers.

Dender started their warm-up with three wins on the trot as they recorded victories against Harelbeke, Oudenaarde and Ninove in comprehensive 5-0, 3-0 and 6-0 wins respectively.

However, the hosts have since struggled as they failed to win any of their subsequent five games overall which included defeats to Anderlecht 2-1 away from home and a 3-0 loss at home to RAAL La Louviere, so the prospects of a visit from Royale Union SG may not be that appealing for the home side!

Visitors Royale Union SG were pipped at the post by Club Brugge in the race for the coveted Champions League spot at the end of last season's First Division A campaign so Royale Union had to make do with a place in the Champions League qualifiers but nevertheless, they did gain their revenge on Club Brugge in the subsequent Belgian Super Cup earlier this month.

Royale Union registered a 2-1 win against Club Brugge to gain bragging rights as the unofficial domestic champions and since they suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Club Brugge back in April, the visitors have put together an impressive 14-game unbeaten sequence in all competitions which includes collecting 11 wins in the process.

Six of these 11 wins include victories gained on the road and these include notable wins against Cercle Brugge and Club Brugge as well as pre-season wins against Go Ahead and PAOK.

Royale Union finished last season's top flight campaign with a six-match unbeaten run which consisted of four wins and two draws, while three of these six games only produced a goal or goals for one side.

Dender v Royale Union SG Verdict

Due to Dender's long 15-year hiatus from the Belgian top flight, the last time these two teams met was way back in 2013 in the Second Amateur Division with Royale Union SG running out 3-1 winners but much has changed since then.

This is Dender's first home game back in the big time and the hosts may spring a surprise here at decent odds.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS No @ 2.05

Other side bets worth considering:

Dender win @ 6.50

Correct Score: Dender 2-0 @ 41.00