Felice Mazzu has been assigned to his old club Sporting Charleroi before the World Cup break. He opens his new job with a home game against former team RSC Anderlecht. There, he was fired due to disappointing results and too defensive play. But this is not only an important match for the coach. Both clubs have meanwhile found themselves in the middle of the standings. That is especially substandard for Anderlecht. After the long WC break, a good restart is crucial if these teams still want to compete for the prizes.

Anderlecht’s new coach Brian Riemer started with a defeat in the Crocky Cup against favourites Genk. The performance in itself was credible, only in extra time could Genk score once. The organization at the back was solid.

At Anderlecht, Jan Vertonghen played a good game. Leading up to the World Cup, Vertonghen still seemed to play on economy mode at times, but in Genk he simply continued the line from Qatar. The rumor that Vertonghen is too old and therefore worn out for the big games has been dismissed.

Both teams will be looking for a striker in the winter break as they currently lack the power up front to hurt top club defences. For the home side, though, it is a boost that they can count on Ali Gholizadeh, who excelled with Iran at the World Cup. Charleroi’s build-up often happens through his (right) flank.

We expect a game where the forwards and creative players will have a hard time disrupting the opponent’s defensive block. We are therefore aiming for few goals.