KV Mechelen v Dender Preview | All to play for in the Pro League’s play-off two after matchday one | OneFootball

Dender’s victory in the opening round of the play-offs means that play-off two is tightly congested going into the second round of fixtures. Standard Liege are currently top on 21 points, with Dender in sixth place on 19. A win for either Mechelen or Dender on Friday evening will see them take top spot for the time being.

For the away side to achieve this, they will need a reversal of their recent match ups with Mechelen. Dender lost both of the games they had with Mechelen this season, losing a dramatic home clash 5-2 before a 2-1 defeat a few weeks ago. They will certainly need to find a way to stop Benito Raman. The former Schalke and Anderlecht striker has scored in both matches against Dender this season and is currently on 13 league goals for the season. Mechelen will be boosted with Rob Schoofs getting closer to full fitness.

Dender have been somewhat goal shy in recent weeks, scoring just three goals in their last five games. Aurélien Scheidler leads the side with six goals, but has only scored one in his last nine games. It is unlikely that Dender have even contemplated challenging for a European ticket, given that their ultimate goal was to survive on the lowest league budget and they managed to do this. That could make them a dangerous opponent, as the side are playing with very little pressure on them over the next handful of games.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson