Back this season in the Jupiler Pro League: the relegation play-offs. The last 4 teams of the general classification will battle it out to see who drops to the Challenger Pro League. The gentlemen of 90 Minutes looked at the new format for the first time this week: “4 teams is not a small number.”
Would there be any teams already fearful at the bottom?
This season, the larger Champions’ Play-offs are not the only novelty in the Jupiler Pro League. The last 4 of the regular competition will now also have their own mini competition.
The last two teams of the so-called Relegation Play-offs drop directly, before the 14th there are still jump-off matches against the third from the Challenger Pro League. So only the winner of the mini competition is safe.
At the moment, the last 4 teams are OH Leuven, Charleroi, KV Kortrijk and Westerlo.
This weekend’s match between Westerlo and Kortrijk could therefore be of vital importance in view of what follows. Charleroi-RWDM will also cause tension, despite the surprisingly good start of the Brussels residents.
Especially because the points are not halved in these Relegation Play-offs. Mutual confrontations now are worth just as much as in the mini-competition itself.
Should OH Leuven and Charleroi be concerned?
The guests of 90 Minutes also looked at the tail end of the rankings. They noted that 4 teams is a lot and there are many teams that qualify.
“After the first match, against us, I thought that OH Leuven would get into trouble, but they have since recovered,” opens Charleroi player Daan Heymans.
Although the people of Leuven are still at the bottom, 13th with 9 points. “After this match day we have already completed a third of the competition,” notes Gilles De Coster. “So we have to take into account the value ratios that currently exist.”
Just above OHL we find Standard (12th with 10 points). They started the season very weakly, but Filip Joos sees improvement at the Rouches: “I don’t think they will get into the top 6, but they won’t get into trouble anymore.”
Once you’re down you have to get out of that shitty street.
Charleroi player Daan Heymans
“After Union-Charleroi (3-1) on Sunday, I had the feeling for the first time from Charleroi that they had to pay attention,” Joos continues.
Heymans agrees with the commentator: “We may lose a match, but the mentality was really not good. We conceded three goals in a stagnant phase, that is pure focus. The coach was not happy.”
“It’s different from the Premier League. Once you’re down, you have to get out of that dull alley. Otherwise you could have a problem.”
Whereupon Sam Kerkhofs reassures the midfielder with the fact that the gap between place 13 (OHL) and place 7 (STVV, which is praised everywhere) is only 4 points: “It’s really crazy, I expected the difference to be bigger.”
“STVV has already shown in top matches with its young team that they play better,” counters Joos. Later in the episode he points out how bizarre it is that no halving of the points is applied in these play-offs.
Which teams will play in the Relegation Play-offs has not yet been determined. On the other hand, it already seems certain that it will be incredibly exciting at the bottom.
Many teams will look down in fear in the coming months.
Anyone who only knows something about football knows nothing about football. Gilles De Coster, Filip Joos and Sam Kerkhofs discuss football current affairs.
66 episodes
