Genk will host Standard Liege at the Luminus Arena on Sunday for their opening fixture of the 2024-25 Belgian Pro League season, with both aiming to get off to a positive start.
Last season, Genk finished sixth in the regular season and fifth in the Championship playoffs, while Standard Liege ended in 10th position in the league and fifth in the Europa Conference League playoff group.
Match preview
Following the heartbreaking 2022-23 season that saw Genk lead the regular season table on goal difference before ultimately losing out on the Belgian Pro League title to Royal Antwerp by a single point in the championship playoffs, Genk would have been determined to go all the way and clinch the title last year.
However, Genk regressed down the table in 2023-24, finishing sixth in the regular season, tied on points with the fifth and seventh-placed teams but securing sixth with a superior goal difference, and placing fifth in the Championship playoffs.
That fifth-placed finish meant they booked their place in the playoff final to qualify for the Europa Conference League, but a 1-0 loss to Gent left them without European football for the second time in six years.
Thorsten Fink was brought in as the new permanent manager ahead of the new campaign, but a less-than-ideal start has seen his side win just one of their five pre-season matches under his reign, losing two and drawing two in that time.
Genk do still come into this match as the favourites to take all three points, especially with Standard Liege coming into the new term after such a disappointing 2023-24 season.
The Reds dropped from a sixth-placed finish in 2022-23, where they were just four points behind qualifying for the Championship playoffs, to a 10th-placed finish, only five points above the relegation playoffs.
Ivan Leko, who was appointed in January 2024, has faced difficulties since joining the club, guiding his side to just three wins from 20 matches, and the pressure will surely be on for the Croatian to deliver a much better start to this term.
Unfortunately for Leko, Standard Liege have struggled on the road against Sunday's hosts, going without a victory in their last four visits to the Luminus Arena, including three consecutive defeats heading into this one.
Team News
The hosts will be without Luca Oyen for this match, as the midfielder is sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury that he is not expected to return from until November, while Jarne Steuckers is also a doubt with an ankle injury and Bilal El Khannouss is on international duty with Morocco.
Tolu Arokodare led Genk's scoring charts last season with 12 goals in 40 league appearances, although just 21 of those were starts, and the forward is likely to play from the start here.
Standard Liege could be without three of their players as Arnaud Bodart, Nathan Ngoy and Souleyman Doumbia are all doubts with injury and illness.
Last season's top scorer Wilfried Kanga returned to Hertha Berlin as his loan ended, leaving new signing Grejohn Kyei likely to start upfront for the visitors.
Genk possible starting lineup:
Penders; Sadick, Bangoura, Ditu; Nkuba, Smets, Fadera, Baah; Karetsas, Oh, Arokodare
Standard Liege possible starting lineup:
Epolo; Fossey, Noubi, Hautekiet, Sutalo, Bolingoli; Ghalidi, O'Neill, Price, Ziani; Kyei
We say: Genk 2-0 Standard Liege
Genk not only had a much more successful 2022-23 campaign than their visitors, but they are also unbeaten at home in this fixture in the last four meetings, leading us to believe the hosts will win this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
