Expect Anderlecht to line up in their usual 4-3-3, the shape that has served them through their European adventures. They will dominate possession, they will push their full-backs high, and they will look to knife through the lines with quick, incisive passing. The midfield trio will be the engine room, controlling the tempo and feeding the wide forwards, who will look to isolate the home full-backs and get in behind. Waasland-Beveren, likely in a 4-2-3-1, will sit deep, park the bus, and try to hit on the counter. They will rely on second balls and set pieces, hoping to nick a goal from a corner or a free kick and then defend for their lives.

The key battle will be in the middle of the park. Anderlecht's double pivot will have to be patient, move the ball quickly, and avoid getting frustrated by a packed defence. Waasland-Beveren will try to make it a midfield dogfight, to slow the game down, to break up play with fouls and tactical nous. But Anderlecht have the quality to find the spaces. Their wide players will stretch the pitch, their full-backs will overlap, and eventually the dam will break. The visitors are also a threat from set pieces, with their height and physicality in the box. This is a game where the away side should control the tempo from start to finish.