Two teams that could really do with a victory in round 18 of the 2024-25 Eredivisie campaign will do battle at Euroborg on Sunday as Groningen entertain the challenge of Almere City.
The hosts are without a victory since late November, while the away side make the trip this weekend aiming to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
Match preview
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Having done well to recover from an early setback and level matters through Romano Postema, Groningen had their final outing of 2024 against Heracles disrupted due to crowd violence when the sides faced off at the Erve Asito on December 22.
That was in keeping with what has largely been a tumultuous campaign so far for Dick Lukkien's charges, who have come out on top in just one of their most recent seven games across all competitions.
Seeking to aid their preparation for the second half of the campaign, Trots van het Noorden took on 2. Bundesliga outfit Elversberg in a friendly matchup on Sunday that ended in a disappointing 2-1 defeat.
A few months after going unbeaten across their first five matches of the season, Groningen currently find themselves battling relegation as they sit 14th in the Eredivisie table, four points clear of the relegation playoff place albeit with a game in hand on Sparta Rotterdam in 16th.
Since emerging victorious from their first meeting against the visitors, Sunday's hosts are without a triumph across the subsequent four editions of this fixture but have only been beaten once during that time.
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Almere City needed 10 attempts to pick up their maiden win of the campaign, after which they were beaten in seven consecutive matches across league and cup duty by a whopping aggregate score of 19-2.
The last of those aforementioned defeats came against Ajax on December 15, and that proved to be the final nail in the coffin of Hedwiges Maduro, who was relieved of his managerial duty shortly afterwards.
Taking charge of proceedings while Almere continued their search for a new head coach, Anoush Dastgir masterminded a 3-0 win over Heerenveen to hand his current employers a much-needed boost to close out 2024.
Currently bottom but one in the league standings, Almere have a five-point deficit to make up in the battle for survival and will hope that the appointment of Jeroen Rijsdijk proves to be a catalyst for improved fortunes.
One of Rijsdijk's issues to address will be his side's toothlessness in front of goal, as Sunday's visitors have netted the fewest goals in the division (10), almost a third of which came in their last league involvement.
Team News
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Tika de Jonge will sit out a 10th straight game due to a niggling injury problem and is one of two guaranteed absentees for Groningen in Sunday's affair.
The other is 27-year-old Marco Rente, who will serve a one-game suspension for receiving his marching orders in December's abandoned clash against Heracles.
Baptiste Guillaume is yet to fully recuperate from a foot problem that has limited him to just six league outings for Almere since joining from Guingamp.
Midfielder Alex Balboa was on target within seven minutes of coming on as a substitute last time out, which could see the Equatorial Guinea international rewarded with a starting berth.
Groningen possible starting lineup:
Vaessen; Peersman, Blokzijl, Prins, Stam; Schreuders, Hove, Pelupessy, Valente; Oosting, Willumsson
Almere City possible starting lineup:
Bakker; Akujobi, Jacobs, Barbet, Zagaritis; Tahiri, Haye; Van de Kamp, Nalic, Kadile; Robinet
We say: Groningen 2-1 Almere City
Despite a rare clean sheet last time out, Almere City have been found wanting defensively on several occasions this season.
While Groningen do not boast a great degree of attacking firepower, we can see them doing enough to secure the points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adepoju Marvellous
