Groningen will be aiming to return to winning ways in the Eredivisie when they take on Go Ahead Eagles at Euroborg in gameweek seven this Sunday afternoon.
The hosts have taken nine points in their first six games of the season, leaving them just outside the top four, while the visitors are firmly in mid-table with seven points.
Match preview
After taking the maximum six points from their first two games of the season, wins have dried up for Groningen, as they enter round seven of the campaign looking to avoid a fifth consecutive match without a victory.
However, that stretch will not be too big of a disappointment for the Pride of the North, as it included only a single defeat and saw them earn a point apiece against high-flying AZ Alkmaar and giants Feyenoord.
Additionally, their sole defeat against Heerenveen only came after they were reduced to 10 men, and they were still well in the contest until Brynjolfur Willumsson was sent off, which saw them end the match with nine players on the field.
Still, there are plenty of positives to take from Dick Lukkien's side's performances so far, particularly their unbeaten home record after the first three games, which is in total contrast to the five defeats in a row conceded in the last five matches on home soil in the 2022-23 season when they were relegated.
Meanwhile, Go Ahead Eagles' fans would have been fearing the worst at the start of this season, having seen their side fail to win their Conference League qualifier and lose their first two league games to Fortuna Sittard and Willem II.
However, the pride of the IJssel will arrive at Euroborg this weekend looking to go a third match without defeat following two impressive results, including a 2-1 win over Sparta Rotterdam before holding Ajax to a 1-1 draw last weekend.
Since replacing Rene Hake in July, Paul Simonis's overall record has not been the greatest, with two wins, two draws and four losses posted across all competitions in his first eight games at the helm.
Notably, three of those defeats came in away games, and of the nine total goals Kowet have shipped this season, six were conceded while playing away from De Adelaarshorst.
The last time these two met in a competitive matchup, they played to a 1-1 draw, which extended the visitors' winless record against this opponent to six games, including four losses and two draws.
Team News
Willumsson is Groningen's joint-top scorer this season, but he will be forced into a watching brief this weekend, along with Marvin Peersman, who was the other player sent off in the loss to Heerenveen last week.
Joining Willumsson and Peersman on the sidelines will be midfield duo Marco Rente and Tika de Jonge, both of whom are ruled out of action for the foreseeable future due to injuries.
After a bright start to the season, Soren Tengstedt sustained an injury in the win over RKC Waalwijk in gameweek two and has not featured since, though reports suggest he could return to action in two to three weeks.
Robbin Weijenberg picked up a knock against Sparta two weeks ago and is flagged as a doubt for this match, while Dean James is out for at least another month as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Bacuna, Blokzijl, Prins, Stam; Schreuders, Resink, Hove, Valente; Van Bergen, Postema
Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:
Plogmann; Deijl, Nauber, Kramer, Adelgaard; Linthorst, Llansana, Adekanye, Martinsen, Antman; Edvardsen
We say: Groningen 1-1 Go Ahead Eagles
Based on both these sides' performances so far this season, there is very little to choose between them in this fixture, and we feel there will be nothing to split them at the final whistle as well.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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