Football Bet of the Day: In Bruges, go for home win

Hosts to take derby glory

Club Brugge v Cercle Brugge
Friday 02 September, 19:45

Despite a late leveller from Salernitana, we stayed under the 2.5 goals line last night, as Bologna blew several good chances and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

We'll head to Belgium, because our Friday night entertainment is a Brugge derby between Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge.

Club Brugge have dominated Belgian football in recent years, winning five of the last seven league titles. Even when they were being outstripped by Union Saint-Gilloise last season in the regular season, they still found a way to win in the Championship round. Even though star player Charles de Ketelaere has joined Milan, skipper Hans Vanaken delighted fans by signing a new contract, and it's still the strongest squad in Belgium.

Club Brugge have started the new season by taking 13 points from six games, although big-spending Antwerp have a perfect record. They have claimed seven points from their three home games, and haven't lost at home in the league since the first week of February.

Cercle Brugge finished tenth last term, and even though they are owned by Monaco supremo Dimitry Rybolovlev (who saved the club from bankruptcy a few years ago), they haven't made a big splash at this level. Cercle have claimed just five points from an available 18 so far, and on the road they have lost four of their last five, with three of those four losses coming by a margin of two goals or greater.

I'll happily back Club Brugge -1.0 here on the Asian Handicap at 1.981/1.