Waterloo v Léopold: the Champions Host the Leaders in Belgium’s Game of the Weekend

The Belgian Hockey League has a proper top-of-the-table game on Sunday. Waterloo Ducks, the defending champions, host Léopold, the team sitting top of the pile after nine rounds.

Léopold lead the league on 20 points, level with Braxgata but ahead on goal difference. Waterloo are fourth on 16, four points back, and they come into this one hurting. Last weekend they were beaten 5-0 by Orée, a result that stunned everyone. Orée had been sitting seventh. They went to Waterloo and blew the champions away.

So the champions have something to prove, and the leaders have a chance to put real daylight between themselves and the chasing pack. Win at Waterloo and Léopold go seven points clear of the Ducks with the season not even halfway done. Lose, and Waterloo are right back in the title fight.

For our money, this one is tight. Léopold have lost once all season. Waterloo don’t lose two big games in a row very often. A draw wouldn’t surprise anyone, but neither side will be playing for one.

Braxgata’s big away day

Braxgata are second, also on 20 points, and they travel to Uccle Sport, who are sixth on 15. Uccle have been quietly solid, four wins and three draws from nine, and they put eight past Namur earlier this season. Braxgata’s attack has been the story of their season, 27 goals in nine games, just behind Herakles and Gantoise on 28.

If Léopold slip up at Waterloo and Braxgata win in Uccle, the lead changes hands. That’s the kind of Sunday this could be.

Orée look to back it up

Orée’s 5-0 win at Waterloo was the result of last weekend, and now they go to Beerschot, who are ninth on nine points. The hard part for Orée is doing it again. One big win makes a statement. Two in a row starts to look like form.

Beerschot have won twice this season and drew 1-1 with Racing earlier in the campaign. They’re not pushovers at home, and Orée will know that a flat performance here would undo all the good work from last Sunday.

The rest of the round

Gantoise, fifth on 15 points, travel to Dragons, who are tenth on eight and sitting in the relegation play-off spot. Gantoise have scored 28 goals this season, joint most in the league, and Dragons have conceded 27. On paper that’s a mismatch. But Dragons at home in Brasschaat have made better sides work for it, and Gantoise dropped points in exactly this kind of game earlier in the season.

Herakles, third on 16, host Racing, eighth on 10. Herakles have the goals, 28 in nine games, and Racing have drawn four of their nine. If Racing can frustrate them for an hour, this gets interesting.

And at the bottom, Daring host Namur. Daring are 11th on five points, Namur bottom on three. Namur have won once all season and have conceded 36 goals. Daring were promoted last summer and have found the step up hard. Somebody has to take something from this one. A draw helps neither side much, but a defeat for Namur would leave them five points adrift already.

The table

Léopold and Braxgata lead on 20 points each. Herakles and Waterloo have 16, Gantoise and Uccle Sport 15, Orée 11, Racing 10, Beerschot nine, Dragons eight, Daring five and Namur three. Four teams make the play-offs, so the gap between sixth and seventh is already four points. That’s the line that matters now.

Sunday sorts out plenty. The leaders go to the champions, the second-placed side go to a team that just scored eight, and the bottom two play each other. That’s a full round.

Round 10 fixtures, Sunday 15 November: Beerschot v Orée; Daring v Namur; Dragons v Gantoise; Herakles v Racing; Uccle Sport v Braxgata; Waterloo Ducks v Léopold.