Besfort Zeneli will try to extend Union Saint-Gilloise’s momentum when his side hosts Gent at Stade Joseph Marien on Wednesday 22 April 2026, kickoff 20:30, in a Pro League fixture that doubles as a check on a rare home streak.
Union come in on the back of a 2-1 victory over Club Brugge at the same ground and riding nine consecutive Pro League home wins, a run that matters because the visitors have not beaten Union in any of their last ten meetings. The two clubs’ most recent clash at Stade Joseph Marien finished 1-1, and across the 10 most recent head-to-heads Union won five and the other five ended in draws.
The numbers underline why this is more than routine. Over their previous 10 games Union averaged 1.6 goals, 5.0 shots on target and 14.6 attempts while keeping opponents to 0.6 goals on average and conceding only two shots on goal per match; possession sat at 52.9 percent and they earned 6.1 corners a game. Besfort Zeneli, Ross Sykes and Guilherme Smith led Union’s scoring in that span with three goals each, while Zeneli and Anan Khalaili provided three assists apiece. Gent enter having won four, lost four and drawn two in their last 10, averaging 1.4 goals from 11.9 attempts and 4.3 shots on target, with Max Dean the club’s top strike threat on six goals in that sequence.
Context sharpens the stakes: Union’s recent victory over Club Brugge not only extended the home streak but also reinforced a defensive solidity that has made them hard to beat at Stade Joseph Marien. Gent, by contrast, have been more volatile — capable of scoring through the form of Dean and Wilfried Kanga but also vulnerable, conceding 1.5 goals on average and giving opponents 13.5 attempts and 4.5 shots on goal per game across their last 10.
Tactics and match-up details add friction. In previous meetings Union lined up in a 4-4-2 with Kjell Scherpen starting in goal; Gent used a 3-4-3 with Davy Roef between the posts. Those shapes help explain the contest: Union’s extra possession and compact defensive numbers project control in midfield and fewer clear chances for Gent, while Gent’s 3-4-3 invites transitions that play to Max Dean’s scoring form. The last result — a 1-1 draw at Joseph Marien — shows Gent can still take a point even without dominating the stats.
Betting markets have already weighed the balance: a preview suggested Union Saint-Gilloise -1.25 at odds of 1.98, noting that a one-goal Union win would return half the stake while a two-goal triumph would make the bet a winner. That market captures the central tension of the night — Union look favored to win at home but the margin matters to punters and to both teams’ season calculations.
The single question that will decide whether Union’s home streak becomes a story of dominance or of narrow escapes is simple: can Gent’s Max Dean find the goals that have eluded them against Union in recent years and unsettle a defence that has conceded just 0.6 goals on average in Union’s last 10? If he does, the match will be open; if he does not, Union’s unbeaten run versus Gent and their nine-match home string point to another home victory.
