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RAAL La Louvière host SV Zulte Waregem on Sunday evening in the Pro League Relegation Round, and this one already feels like a proper six-pointer. There’s no title glamour here, no European hunt to dress it up. This is about staying calm, staying clear of trouble, and avoiding the sort of slip that drags a club back into a scrap it thought it had left behind.
For RAAL, the warning lights are flashing a bit. Frédéric Taquin’s side have gone three league games without a win and they’ve been leaking goals again, which is exactly the sort of pattern that turns a relegation round into a nervous business. Zulte Waregem arrive with a little more momentum after a wild 2-1 win at FCV Dender on 12 April, and Steve Colpaert’s men know a result here would give them real breathing room. A draw wouldn’t be the worst outcome for either side. But both will fancy more.
The recent history between these two also adds a layer of tension. They’ve already played out some tight meetings this season, and the head-to-head has a habit of refusing to settle things cleanly. That matters here. Not because history wins matches, of course. It doesn’t. But when two teams keep ending up in each other’s way without much separation, you start to expect another stubborn, awkward evening.
RAAL’s recent run has been messy, and the latest defeat at Cercle Brugge on 11 April said plenty about where they are right now. They were beaten 3-0 away from home, but the scoreline barely scratched the surface. Cercle cut them open far too easily, and RAAL were chasing shadows for long spells. Before that came the unforgettable 5-5 draw with KRC Genk on 22 March, a match that was entertaining for everyone except the two defences. That game had drama in every direction, but it also exposed how fragile RAAL can be when the tempo rises and the structure breaks.
There was a bit more control in the 1-3 win at Cercle Brugge on 15 March, and that result still stands as their last league victory. Since then, though, the wheels have loosened. The 0-0 home draw with Royal Antwerp on 6 March was disciplined enough, and the 1-1 at Standard Liège on 27 February showed they can grind. Yet the 0-2 home loss to KV Mechelen on 22 February is another reminder that RAAL aren’t getting many clean, convincing nights at the moment. They’ve now gone four matches without a clean sheet, and that’s the kind of streak that keeps managers awake.
At home, the numbers aren’t helping their mood much either. RAAL have struggled to make their own ground a proper advantage, and that’s a problem in a fixture like this one. Their attack has shown flashes — the Genk draw was proof of that — but they’re not stringing together enough solid performances to suggest control over 90 minutes. They’re conceding too much space, too many chances, and too often they’re forced into reaction rather than initiative. That’s a bad place to live. Especially now.
Zulte Waregem arrive in better shape, even if their season has still had its bumps. The 2-1 win at FCV Dender on 12 April was a useful response and, more than that, it was a performance with some bite to it. They generated 3.68 xG in that game and fired 24 shots, so this wasn’t a smash-and-grab away from home. They stayed on the front foot, they created enough to win comfortably, and even though the late penalty miss by Enrique Lofolomo gave the final stages a bit of awkwardness, the damage was already done.
Before that, Zulte Waregem drew 2-2 with Cercle Brugge on 4 April, another lively contest where they showed they can trade blows with one of the division’s more dangerous sides. The 1-0 home win over Charleroi on 22 March was more practical, more contained, and probably the kind of result Colpaert will have valued most. It was a clean, efficient evening. That was followed by a 0-2 loss at KAA Gent on 13 March, then a pair of defeats to Standard Liège and KV Mechelen in early March. So this isn’t a side that’s suddenly gone flawless. But they’ve steadied themselves, and that matters a lot at this point in the campaign.
Their away record needs close attention because it’s where this match could tilt. Zulte Waregem haven’t been polished on the road, but they have shown they can score there and they’re not walking into this as passengers. They’ve scored in recent away games and the Dender performance suggested they’re perfectly happy to commit numbers forward when the game asks for it. The flip side? They’re vulnerable too. They’ve been first to concede in six of their last seven in one market trend, which says plenty about how often they leave themselves work to do. Still, they’re not out of matches when they fall behind. That’s useful.
These two have already shared some cagey, competitive meetings, and the pattern is fairly clear: neither side has been able to pull away for long. Zulte Waregem beat RAAL 2-1 on 10 November 2024 in the Challenger Pro League, but the more recent clashes have leaned towards stalemate. The 0-0 in La Louvière on 4 October 2025 and the 2-2 draw in Waregem on 13 December 2025 both suggest there’s little between them when they meet at this level.
That kind of history matters because it mirrors the current feeling around the fixture. RAAL haven’t lost to Zulte Waregem in three straight head-to-heads, while Zulte Waregem themselves haven’t lost any of the last six meetings listed across the database. Neither side has found a clean way through. That won’t surprise anyone who’s watched these teams this season. It’s been a series of awkward, fairly even encounters, and another close one feels entirely natural.
Both Teams To Score at 8/11 is the pick here, and it’s a fair price for a game that looks primed to have chances at both ends. RAAL are on a four-match run without a clean sheet, and their last outing at Cercle Brugge was ugly from a defensive point of view. Zulte Waregem, for their part, aren’t shy about pushing forward and created a flood of chances at Dender. Put those two traits together and BTTS looks the safest route.
A 1-1 scoreline feels the most honest call. RAAL do usually find a way to nick something at home, even when they’re not sharp, and Zulte Waregem have enough threat to get on the board away from home. The head-to-head has leaned tight as well, which suits the draw and suits goals on both sides without needing a wild scoreline.
If you wanted a second angle, under 3.5 goals isn’t a bad shout either. But BTTS is the main play. This one has the feel of a match where both teams score, neither completely takes control, and everyone leaves with the sense that they could’ve done a little more.
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