Preview:Groningen vs PEC Zwolle - prediction, team news, lineups

Groningen and PEC Zwolle draw the curtain on round 13 of the 2025-26 Eredivisie season with a meeting at Euroborg on Sunday evening.

The hosts are winless in their last three matches and will set out to get back to triumphant ways, while the visitors seek consecutive victories for the first time since August.

Match preview

Since returning from the October international break, before which they had won four of their last five matches, Groningen have been on a downward spiral, with only one win from their subsequent six outings.

A 2-0 defeat to NEC Nijmegen in their last league match saw Dick Lukkien's men come away empty-handed from a second straight away game after their KNVB Beker exit at the hands of Sparta Rotterdam.

Trots van het Noorden will now hope to enjoy improved fortunes on their latest return to action after an international break by securing three points on home turf this weekend.

However, they will be going up against an opposing outfit that are currently unbeaten in the last six meetings between the teams and have kept clean sheets in each of the most recent three encounters.

Sitting sixth in the Eredivisie table with 19 points from 12 matches, Groningen are firmly in the hunt for a European place nine years after Sunday's hosts last featured on the continental scene in the 2015-16 campaign.

Six days on from being on the receiving end of one of the heaviest defeats in Eredivisie history, Zwolle showed great character to grind out a narrow 1-0 victory over Sparta Rotterdam on November 8 at the MAC³PARK Stadion.

In-form Kaj de Rooij proved to be the point of difference for Zwolle once again by scoring the winner just past the half-hour mark, although he was forced off 13 minutes into the second half.

De Blauwvingers' recent triumph ended a nine-game winless run in the league for Henry van der Vegt's men since claiming back-to-back wins over Twente and Telstar to get their campaign underway on a high.

That was enough to lift Zwolle out of the drop zone into 15th place, but they will now need to put together a decent run in the coming weeks to steer clear of relegation danger.

Having let in 17 goals away from home, behind only Heracles' tally of 18 in the division, Sunday's visitors will need to tighten up at the back to stand any chance of securing what would be only a second win in seven away trips.

Groningen Eredivisie form:

Groningen form (all competitions):

PEC Zwolle Eredivisie form:

PEC Zwolle form (all competitions):

Team News

Travis Hernes has missed each of Groningen's last three matches with a minor injury, but the loanee from Newcastle is expected to be available for Sunday's clash.

After a bright start to the season in front of goal, Brynjolfur Willumsson is currently undergoing a rough patch, having now failed to score in any of his last 10 matches for club and country.

Zico Buurmeester and Odysseus Velanas are both nursing ankle issues and are unavailable for Zwolle, while fellow Dutchman Tristan Gooijer and Jasper Schendelaar are out with hamstring and thigh problems respectively.

Damian van der Haar has made just two appearances this term due to a knee problem, and the 21-year-old is still a considerable way off returning to action.

Groningen possible starting lineup:

Vaessen; Peersman, Janse, Blokzijl, Rente; De Jonge, Resink; Schreuders, Taha, Van der Werff; Willumsson

PEC Zwolle possible starting lineup:

Dee Graaff; Floranus, MacNulty, Graves, Aertssen; Monteiro, Oosting, Thomas; De Rooij, Kostons, Shoretire