SV Zulte Waregem come into this fixture with a strong home scoring base, having found the net in five of their last six league matches and averaging 1.3 goals per home game this season. Cercle Brugge have been even more open at the back, conceding in each of their last three and in 11 straight head-to-head meetings without a clean sheet, which keeps the over 2.5 line well in play.
The recent results point in the same direction. Zulte Waregem’s last six league games have produced four matches with at least three goals, while Cercle’s last six have also featured plenty of action, including a 3-2 win at Anderlecht and a 1-3 home defeat to RAAL La Louvière. Their underlying numbers fit that picture too, with both sides projected around the 1.4 to 1.7 xG mark here.
Zulte Waregem have been harder to beat at home than their overall table position suggests, losing only six of 15 in front of their own fans and drawing enough to stay competitive in most games. Cercle Brugge’s away record is respectable, but they have still conceded 16 goals in 15 away matches, and that kind of profile usually leaves little margin for a low-scoring game.
The head-to-head also leans toward goals rather than control. The two league meetings this season both finished 1-1, but those are joined by a long run of open encounters, including the 6-5 Belgian Cup thriller and a 3-2 Cercle win in 2023. With both teams scoring in all eight recent meetings listed, it is difficult to argue for a cautious match.
My prediction is Over 2.5 Goals at 12/25. Zulte Waregem have seen four of their last six league matches finish with at least three goals, Cercle have gone over 2.5 goals in six of their last eight, and both sides are carrying modest defensive records into the game. The xG projection of 1.7 to 1.4 also points to chances at both ends, even if the two 1-1 league meetings this season leave a small note of caution.
