Dender Belgian Pro League 2025/2026 Preview | OneFootball

Overview:

Dender enter the 2025/26 Belgian Pro League campaign with some high hopes after consolidating their top-flight status last season with a 12th-placed finish.

Although they’ll likely be wary that last term’s relegation play-offs were avoided purely due to goal difference, they’ll no doubt be expecting their forward players to, again, do a lot of heavy lifting. Between them, forwards Bruny Nsimba, Aurélien Scheidler, and Mohamed Berte scored 27 (nine each) of their side’s 33 Pro League goals.

Transfers In: Aurélien Scheidler (Bari), Luc Marijnissen (Lierse SK), Roman Kvet (Victoria Plzen), Krzysztof Koton (Polonia Warsaw), Nail Moutha-Sebtaoui (RSCA Futures).

Transfers Out: Gilles Ruyssen (KV Kortrijk), Karol Fila (Wieczysta), Lennard Hens (KV Kortrijk), Kenneth Houdret (Union Rochefort), Ridwane M’Barki (Patro Eisden), Abdoulaye Yahaya (Leixões), Jasper Van Oudenhove (Without Club), Michael Lallemand (Without Club), Danny Fofana (Without Club).

Key Player: Bruny Nsimba

Although one of the trio that equalled each other’s nine goals last season in the Pro League, Bruny Nsimba looks to be Dender’s key man this campaign. The former Antwerp and Beveren man scored nine and assisted four last season, adding excellent top-tier output to his promotion-grabbing exploits from the Challenger Pro League the season prior.

There, he scored 14 in 30 games, and now at 25 years old, he looks to have steadily grown into the Pro League striker mould. He should be quietly confident in 2025/26, especially if the two other striking assets, Berte and (the now-permanently transferred) Scheidler, are hitting fine form of their own and pushing each other on. Plus, if Dender can keep the supply from the wings intact through David Hrncar (six assists) and Fabio Ferraro (five assists), there’s no reason why goals can’t be in the equation once more.

Young player to watch: Luc Marijnissen

A bone of contention for Dender last season was the somewhat leaky backline. One signing so far that may help this is Luc Marijnissen from Lierse SK. The 22-year-old Dutchman was a key component of the Yellow-Black side that finished eighth and seven points off the promotion play-off picture.

In that season, Marijnissen earned a move with fine defensive displays, while also scoring two goals to help the cause. In his spell at the Herman Vanderpoortenstadion, Marijnissen helped register nine clean sheets in 29 league games. A step up in his career and development since his early days at NAC Breda, this young player will likely be chomping at the bit to get started.

Transfer window needs:

With numerous exits this summer, predominantly on free transfers, Dender’s squad size has been reduced to just 23 at the time of writing. If they are to spend a second successive season in the Belgian top flight, they’ll need to bolster their ranks, ideally adding a bit more depth and dynamism to help their typical 3-4-3 formation. Further strength must be added to a backline that conceded 55 goals last term – the fourth-worst in the division.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield