The Jupiler Pro League enters Matchweek 9 running from 23 October to 25 October 2026, with nine matches scheduled across three days. The primary focus of the round falls on the fight at the summit, where league leaders Gent defend a slender advantage while Club Brugge, Charleroi, and Union St. Gilloise remain within two points of the top. The remaining calls appear on each match page the day before kickoff.
The match of the round: Kortrijk vs KV Mechelen
Friday's scheduled meeting between Kortrijk and KV Mechelen is off, but our model published its assessment before the fixture was postponed. The two clubs have endured difficult openings to the campaign. Kortrijk sit 17th in the 18-team table with three points from eight games, having scored only two goals while conceding 18. Their absentee list includes Basile Vroninks, Jamie Roche, and Marko Ilić, leaving them short of options after back-to-back 3-0 away defeats against RAAL La Louvière and Genk sandwiching a 1-0 home victory against SK Beveren.
KV Mechelen have fared only slightly better, sitting 14th with six points. Their away record remains a major concern, having collected zero away wins and managed just two goals on the road this season. They arrive without Adeshina Ayodele, Dikeni Salifou, and Ian Struyf, although top scorer Myron Van Brederode enters with three goals to his name following an eventful 4-3 home win against St. Truiden.
Our forecasting model leaned towards a Kortrijk win, though with low confidence given the struggles of both sides. In the win-or-draw category, the model projected a winner either way, viewing a draw as the least likely outcome. It placed medium confidence on both teams to score and offered a low-confidence call on Kortrijk to score the opening goal. As a speculative scoreline projection, the model indicated a 2-1 Kortrijk win, while noting this as a low-confidence call.
Saturday
Antwerp host third-placed Charleroi in the Saturday opener. Antwerp sit 13th after suffering three consecutive league defeats, conceding ten goals across matches against Club Brugge KV, Union St. Gilloise, and a heavy 5-1 loss at KVC Westerlo. Anthony Valencia leads their scoring with three goals, while Youssef Hamdaoui remains absent. Charleroi, by contrast, have collected 21 points and won three straight league matches, including consecutive 1-0 away victories at Zulte Waregem and Standard Liege, with Aurélien Scheidler matching Valencia on three goals this term.
OH Leuven meet Lommel United in Saturday's second fixture. OH Leuven have drawn two of their last three league fixtures 1-1, including a visit to Union St. Gilloise, but sit 15th with only five points and are without Manuel Osifo, Thibaud Verlinden, and Thibault Vlietinck. Lommel United are 10th on 11 points, aided by Tom Reyners' three goals, and recorded a 3-1 away win against SK Beveren in their previous outing, though they travel without Dries Wouters, Henry Oware, and Jesper Tolinsson.
RAAL La Louvière welcome Zulte Waregem with both sides seeking to arrest recent slides. RAAL La Louvière sit 16th with four points and enter off consecutive losses against OH Leuven and Club Brugge KV, missing Bryan Soumaré and Mouhamed Belkheir. Zulte Waregem sit eighth with 11 points but have dropped three straight league matches without scoring, conceding six times, and enter without the suspended Malick Mbaye alongside injured duo Dirk Asare and Wilguens Paugain.
KVC Westerlo host SK Beveren in the late Saturday fixture. Westerlo have won three consecutive league matches, scoring 11 goals across wins against Standard Liege, St. Truiden, and Antwerp, powered by five goals from Norman Bassette. SK Beveren sit 11th with nine points after consecutive defeats to Kortrijk and Lommel United, and will manage absences for Kurt Abrahams, Laurent Jans, and Léandre Kuavita.
Sunday
Sunday begins with Genk hosting Standard Liege. Genk sit seventh on 12 points following a 3-0 home win over Kortrijk, with Rafiu Durosinmi leading their attack on six goals, though Adrián Palacios, Christian Akpan, and Ken Nkuba are sidelined. Standard Liege sit ninth after losing three consecutive league fixtures, allowing seven goals across defeats to KVC Westerlo, Gent, and Charleroi, and travel without Dimitri Lavalée, Josué Homawoo, and Mohamed El Hankouri.
Second-placed Club Brugge KV face St. Truiden in the afternoon. Club Brugge are on 21 points with a league-best goal difference of +15, having scored 19 goals while conceding four, with Nicolò Tresoldi recording eight goals in all competitions. St. Truiden sit 12th in the domestic table, where Samed Baždar has five goals, though they conceded four in their previous league match against KV Mechelen.
League leaders Gent take on fifth-placed Anderlecht in the weekend's headline fixture. Gent hold top spot with 22 points, having conceded just four goals in eight league games, though top scorer Josué Vergara and Mouhamed Ngom are both absent through injury. Anderlecht sit on 16 points and picked up a 2-1 away victory at Cercle Brugge in their last domestic outing, though defensive absentees Ilay Camara and Killian Sardella leave them adjusted at the back.
Union St. Gilloise close the round against bottom-placed Cercle Brugge. Union St. Gilloise sit fourth with 20 points and a league-leading 22 goals scored, led by Raul Florucz with five goals, though they must manage injuries to Darius Olaru, Ilan Hurtevent, and Kevin Mac Allister. Cercle Brugge remain 18th with three points from eight games, winless in their last three league fixtures, and travel without Joel Ndala and Omotayo Adaramola.
This round presents multiple opportunities for movement near the top. With Gent holding only a one-point margin over Club Brugge KV and Charleroi, any dropped points against Anderlecht could see the leadership change hands before Sunday evening. At the lower end of the standings, Cercle Brugge and RAAL La Louvière will look to take advantage of Kortrijk's inactive weekend to climb out of the bottom two.
