Anderlecht vs Kortrijk: Hosts chase first home win
Updated
Anderlecht welcome struggling Kortrijk to Lotto Park on Thursday evening for a Jupiler Pro League Regular Season round-three fixture. The Brussels side have taken three points from their first two games, while Kortrijk arrive rooted to the foot of the table having lost both of their opening matches without scoring.
Team News and Injury Latest
Anderlecht head into the match with a near-clean bill of health, carrying the momentum of a solid if unspectacular start to the 2026-27 campaign. Head coach Brian Riemer has no fresh injury concerns from the opening rounds, giving him the option to field the same XI that secured a narrow win in their last outing. The main selection question sits in attack, where Riemer must decide whether to stick with a lone striker or pair a second forward against a Kortrijk defence that has already shipped six goals this season.
Kortrijk are in a difficult spot. Two defeats from two matches, a -6 goal difference, and no goals scored paints a stark picture. Head coach Joseph Akpala needs a reaction after a 3-0 home loss to Charleroi on 29 August that exposed his side’s frailties in transition. Akpala deployed a 3-1-4-2 system in that defeat, a tactical plan that left the wide areas vulnerable and failed to generate a single goal.
Anderlecht Form Guide
Anderlecht sit mid-table with a win and a defeat from their opening two Jupiler Pro League fixtures. Their most recent result—coming off the back of an earlier victory—kept them within touching distance of the early frontrunners. Club Brugge, Charleroi and Zulte-Waregem have set a fierce pace at the top, each boasting a 100% record after three matchdays, meaning a home slip-up here is unaffordable for Riemer’s men if they want to stay in the chasing pack.
Last season’s playoff push ended in disappointment, and the board expects a return to the top-four conversation this term. A home fixture against a side already adrift at the bottom is precisely the sort of match Anderlecht must take maximum points from.
Kortrijk’s Fight to Get Off the Mark
Kortrijk are one of only two teams—alongside Westerlo—yet to register a single point in the 2026-27 Jupiler Pro League. Their defensive record is the worst in the division; only Westerlo have conceded more. The manner of the two defeats—a heavy home reverse followed by an equally blunt away performance—suggests a lack of confidence that runs deep.
What little hope they carry comes from the fact the season is still in its infancy. A compact, counter-attacking setup could frustrate the hosts, but Akpala must first solve the goalscoring drought that has left his forward line blank after 180 minutes of football.
Key Battle: Anderlecht’s Midfield Control vs Kortrijk’s Fragile Shape
This contest will likely be decided in the middle third. Anderlecht’s engine room is built to dominate possession and feed runners into the channels, while Kortrijk’s 3-1-4-2 structure has so far looked porous when opponents switch play quickly. If the visitors cannot hold their shape against sustained pressure, Anderlecht’s creative players will find pockets of space between the lines at will.
For Kortrijk, the key is surviving the opening 20 minutes without conceding. An early goal for the hosts could open the floodgates given the visitors’ fragile morale; a stubborn start might just plant a seed of doubt in a home side still searching for its rhythm.
Heading into the international break, a home victory would lift Anderlecht towards the congested group battling for European places. Kortrijk simply need a foothold—a point, a goal, anything to stop the early-season slide before the fixtures get no easier.
