Gent vs KV Mechelen Prediction: A must win encounter for both sides

To make it to the next season's European Conference League playoffs, Gent and KV Mechelen will battle it out in game four of the Jupiler Pro League. Heading into this game, one point separating these sides in the league standings. Which side will come out on top in this one?

Gent will be disappointed with how things ended for them the previous weekend, as Leuven defeated them in a 2-1 encounter. In that game, Gent conceded twice in the first half, with Mathieu Maertens scoring twice for Leuven, while Gent’s consolation came from Mathias Fernandez-Pardo. However, in their four prior games to that defeat, Gent played to a draw with Union Saint-Gilloise while they defeated Charleroi, Standard Liege, and Westerlo. The hosts scored 15 goals in that span while conceding four.

KV Mechelen kept their European Conference League playoffs hopes alive last weekend as they secured a hard-fought 3-2 win over Westerlo. In that game, KV Mechelen had to come from behind to take all three points, and a late-minute own goal by Ravil Tagir was all they needed to take all three points. In the meantime, a look at the visitors' last five games have seen them lose to St. Truiden and Leuven. However, they defeated Westerlo and Leuven in other games. After three games played in the Conference group, KV Mechelen have now accumulated 29 points, and a win here will see them top the group.

Both sides have a lot of top performances to display if they want a win here. However, while the visiting team won the last meeting at this venue, the hosts now look more focused and have improved so much in recent weeks. While I think the two teams will not leave anything here, a bet on both teams scoring with the hosts winning is a good option to bet on.