In this week 19 match, on Wednesday Dec 15th, Mechelen will play host to Gent in a clash of the Pro League. Weather on match day is looking like a cloudy and cool day, with daytime temperatures of only 7 degrees, making for an unpleasant day. Mechelen is fresh off their 1-1 draw against Genk. Theo Bongonda struck first for Genk in the 43rd minute, then Nikola Storm got the equalizer for Mechelen in the 50th minute on a feed from Sandy Walsh earning Mechelen at least a draw. With 20 points in their last 10 matches Mechelen should be reasonably happy with their performance, while in their last match, 6th placed Gent, recorded a 1-0 shutout win against OH Leuven. Tarik Tissoudali struck first for Gent in the 10th minute, and that single goal was all that was necessary as neither team could manage any more scoring In the end, OH Leuven was frustrated by Gent’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Gent ended the match with the shutout victory. Gent should be reasonably happy with their recent performance, earning 20 points in their last 10 matches.
In their last match together, Gent won by a score of 2 to 0. Michael Ngadeu struck first for Gent in the 28th minute, then Nurio Fortuna added another in the 2nd minute of the second half’s stoppage time on a feed from Giorgi Chakvetadze In the end, Mechelen was frustrated by Gent’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Gent ended the match with the shutout victory.
Gent’s most prolific scorer has been Tarik Tissoudali. He has netted three goals over the last five matches. For Mechelen, their top scorers are Kerim Mrabti and Hugo Cuypers, each having 2 goals in their last five matches.