Too soon for a title tilt? | OneFootball

RSC Anderlecht have had a strong season in the UEFA Europa League, while the Belgian record champions are part of the leading pack in the league too. However, the Purple & Whites are a long way from their first league title since 2017. In their match against TSG Hoffenheim (Thursday at 21:00 CET / Live Ticker at tsg-hoffenheim.de), coach David Hubert's team will be looking to secure direct qualification for the round of 16.

A gloom hung over RSC Anderlecht shortly before Christmas. Their clash with league leaders KRC Genk took place on 22 December, and a win would have brought the record champions to within two points of the table-toppers. But Genk beat Anderlecht by a 2-0 scoreline and the gap has now grown from eight points to 12. Anderlecht currently occupy fourth position. Although the champions' play-off – involving the top six teams – will follow the regular season in the Belgian top flight and the points from the regular season will then be divided in half, Anderlecht's head-to-head record against their probable opponents does not bode well.

In addition to their loss against Genk, Anderlecht also succumbed to defeat in both games against Club Brugge, who are currently in second spot. Their sole meeting to date with third-placed Union Saint-Gilloise ended in a draw. Anderlecht have a tough schedule for the rest of the regular season too: the Brussels outfit will go up against Gent (7th), Royal Antwerp (5th), Royal Charleroi (8th), Union Saint-Gilloise (3rd) and Standard Liège (6th) in the remaining seven rounds of matches – the team cannot afford a slump under any circumstances, otherwise they might even miss out on the champions' play-off.

One of Anderlecht's problems is the lack of a second striker. Although former Hoffenheim player Kasper Dolberg has rediscovered his strong form of old in Belgium and netted 18 goals in 31 competitive appearances, no other player in the squad apart from Dolberg has scored more than five goals overall, and no other player has scored more than three times in the league. Whether the Dane will be able to face his former team-mates on Thursday remains doubtful, as the striker is currently suffering from a knee injury and has missed the last four competitive matches.