Belgium League prediction – Gift Orban top-scorer, Genk to win title

Belgium League prediction – Gift Orban top-scorer, Genk to win title
Credit: Icon Sport

We take a look at the top Belgium League predictions to go with as the Belgian top flight returns to action for the 2023/24 season on 28 July and will run through to 16 May 2024.

The Jupiler Pro League, as it is known for sponsorship reasons, features a number of Nigerians including Super Eagles prospect Gift Orban. The 21-year-old has played for KAA Gent since January 2023 and is getting ready to make his first full-season debut in the Buffalos’ first game on 30 July.

His future is the subject of many transfer news stories but Nigeria football news media is getting ready to cover his activities in the Belgium league next season.

Belgium League fixtures, transfers

Transfers

A lot of movement has taken place in the Belgium League in terms of transfers.

The biggest is the transfer of Nigeria national football team prospect Victor Boniface to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga. This leaves Orban as the biggest Nigerian name in the league which also has Jordan Torunarigha (Gent), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge), Tolu Arokodare (KRC Genk), Alhassan Yusuf (Royal Antwerp) and a few others.

They could be joined by Akor Adams of Lillestrøm in Norway, who is wanted by Arokodare’s Genk, Onyedika’s Club Brugge and Union Saint-Gilloise, who are looking to replace Boniface.

Fixtures

Union SG kicks off the new Belgium League season on 28 July. They will come up against RSC Anderlecht. RSC Charleroi, former home of AFCON 2023 golden boot hopeful Victor Osimhen, will face Oud-Heverlee Leuven while Arokodare’s Genk will travel to RWD Molenbeek on 29 July.

Orban and Gent will host Kortrijk on 30 July. This could be his last game for the Belgian side with his future still up in the air, according to reports.

Regardless, he will be looking to add to his tally which he opened in Gent’s UEFA Europa Conference League second preliminary round first-leg tie against Slovakian side MŠk Žilina on 27 July. Orban scored the first of Gent’s five goals in that tie, which gives them a 5-1 aggregate lead going to Žilina’s home for the second leg.

A much-anticipated match is Gent vs Genk, which will pit two bright Nigerian young forwards (Orban and Arokodare) against each other. Fans will have to wait till October to get that match up, however.

Belgium league prediction

Belgium league prediction – Top scorer: Gift Orban

Orban plays alongside Hugo Cuypers, who finished the 2022/23 season as the top-scorer of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League.

Orban, who joined in January, finished behind Cuypers in Gent’s 2022/23 top scorer list with 15. Both players are starting together this season and there is certainly going to be a competition between the both of them for the top award come 16 May 2024.

If Orban ends up staying until the end of the season, we predict he will beat Cuypers to the award.

Belgium league prediction – Winner: Genk

Alhassan Yusuf’s Royal Antwerp won the Belgium League last season thanks to a last-minute goal from veteran defender Toby Aldeweireld.

Arokodare’s Genk were on the verge of claiming the title before that. They were so impressive that a number of their players made it to the Belgium League team of the season and former Burundi national team prospect and current Belgium national team midfielder Mike Trésor Ndayishimiye beat Orban and Boniface to the Ebony Boot award for best African player in the league.

From the happenings of last season, we can infer that it is unlikely that Antwerp defends their title and this will see Genk coast to the 2023/24 title after the playoffs.

Gent will make the Conference League preliminaries once again.

This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago

Daniel Kolade
All-round lover of the beautiful game. Massive football fan, supported Arsenal for decades for reasons that are unexplainable. One day we will win the Champions League!
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